End of All Hope
by Irene Sharda
Summary: Thanks to a jolting world event, the hunters have now become the hunted. Running for his life, Shido returns to vampyr territory. But is he ready to return to the place he once called home...and to the man he once called master? Cain/Shido
1. Hellish World

**Chapter 1- Hellish World**

_The world has gone to hell…and we are two demons trying to escape its deadly grasp._

This was the thought that went through Shido Tatsuhiko's head, as he stayed in the shadowed alcove using the darkness and his superior hearing to listen for their followers.

He heard a soft whimper and instinctively held his childe closer to his chest as the two nightwalkers hid from their pursuers. Hearing heavy footsteps, he sunk even further into the shadows, willing his heart to slow down and literally stopped breathing.

He watched five humans come into view and automatically his fangs slid down into place. There had been a time when he would have risked his very life to protect these vile creatures…

There had been a time when he had wanted more than anything to be like them…he had seen the good in them and had become envious…

But that was before five months ago, when the human world had declared war against the creatures of the night and started an all out genocide.

That was before the humans came up with advanced weapons against not only the nightbreed, but also again the lycans, the fae, and the vampires.

Before they had imprisoned innocent creatures and sentenced them to a lifetime of torture and captivity…

That had been before they had captured, brutally murdered, disemboweled, and decapitated Yayoi, and sent his little Guni through a wood chipper—alive.

An unheeded tear came to his eye as he thought of his two friends who had given their lives to give him and his childe, Riho, time to escape the hands of the murderous mob that had stormed his offices. In his opinion, Yayoi had been the last good human in Japan, the rest of the mortals were now reduced to murderers who wanted nothing more than to see his and Riho's heads on a spike with their bodies burned to smolders.

As the men passed by without discovering them, Shido relaxed—but only slightly.

They still had a bit of journey in front of them to get to vampyr territory. And the journey would still be full of danger to come. He had been reluctant to go back to his people five months ago, but now it was the only way to ensure his and Riho's survival. The vampires and other nightwalkers had put their differences aside in order to defend themselves against the vengeful humans. Once he was inside the self-declared nation which was composed of his homeland of Romania as well as the rest of Eurasia and the Middle East, he could take a single breath of relief. Until then however, he would keep moving silent and fast, only stopping for rest and quick meals.

Convinced that the hunters were completely gone, Shido stepped from out of the darkness and stepped around a large pile of concrete and rubble that was now a commonplace sight in the once peaceful Chinese town as well as everywhere else in Asia and other civilized worlds. The war between mortal and immortal was a trying and vicious one, and while the immortals had magic and time on their side, the mortals had the numbers, supplies, and ingenuity.

The brown-haired young vampiress stayed close to him as they moved superhumanly fast over the terrain. He had but to look into her blue eyes to see that the horror that simply surviving had become was taking its toll on her. She was very young for one of the undead, and he knew that her past humanity was pulling on her way more than it had ever done with him. She had seen people that she had once called classmates now call her "monster" and "baby-killer", teachers that she had once trusted come after her with flamethrowers and UV rifles. His childe had not fully accepted her new role until this moment when she now had no other choice, but to separate herself from a humanity who desired to take her life, and enter a dark world she didn't quite understand.

It had been many years since he had lived the true life of a vampire, but he could easily swing back into that gear. The society of the nightwalkers was fashioned much older than the rest of the world. Based on a feudal system, there were a series of courts that were each led by a single noble. Their were small courts with young Master vampires, then there were the stronger courts of the High Lords, and this gave way to the Superior Court that was composed of a decision-making council. The Superior court wasn't very strong and was really only superior in name alone and in essence it was High Lords who held the real power. He should know—he had once been the consort and mate to one of the strongest of High Lords and he knew how things worked in that foreign land.

Hearing Riho's heart flutter, he slowed down, reminding himself that she didn't have the time born stamina that he did.

In the Chinese countryside, they both stopped by a tree to rest for a second. Shido looked over the surrounding hills and valleys, searching for any signs of life. The search had two tasks: to sniff out danger and to hunt for sustenance. While he could go for weeks if he had to without feeding, his childe did not have yet the same fortitude. And since she knew little of actively hunting, he would have to supply for her for now.

Smelling the scent of smoke he signaled to Riho to stay hidden as he went out.

Quickly finding the source of the fire, he spotted 2 human soldiers around the camp, both armed to the teeth. His eyes shimmered from emerald to cat-eye yellow as he closed in on his prey.

His skills were a little rusty after a century of neglect, but a century was nothing to an immortal. Especially at tired immortal who was rather pissed off at the moment…

Sneaking behind one man, he silently pounced, cracking the man's neck quickly with an iron grip and dragging him back further into the shadows.

Riho looked at the dead body in fear, but he gave her a look that brokered for no arguments. He stayed with her until he saw that she was well into and quickly occupied with feeding on the quickly cooling blood before heading back to the enemy camp.

The other man had quickly realized that his partner was missing and had his guard up as he called out to the missing man. Shido chuckled to himself as he realized that the man must be getting scared by now—as well he should be.

Even though the hunters were now the hunted, as the saying goes…there is nothing more dangerous than a cornered, injured animal.

Stirring the power within him, he coated his voice with a compulsion as he silently and suddenly appeared behind the solitary soldier.

"Come to me…"

Not as trained as some of the other soldiers he had run into, this man only put up a mild struggle, before doing as he ordered. Taking the complacent man by his shoulders, he bit none too gently, into the pulsing vein of the man's neck and began to drink greedily.

This would have to sustain him for some time, so he drank as much as he could, before he pushed the resulting corpse to the ground in a heap.

Gazing down at the dead body he had just killed, as well as the one he had given to Riho, Shido tried to drag up some trace of guilt for killing the two humans. But no matter how hard he tried, nothing resulted. To him they had been food, a means of survival, nothing more. If given the chance, the two soldiers would have slaughtered him without a second thought. He had simply made sure they wouldn't have that chance…

Seeing that Riho was done, he helped her to her feet and the two began walking again. She simply wiped her mouth and kept up with his long strides.

"It will be dawn soon, Shido-san." Her small voice spoke slightly.

He nodded in return, knowing that the two would have to find a safe and sheltered place to rest during the morning hours. It wouldn't help for them to have survived each night, if they were simply killed in their sleep by the sanguineous humans.

The two moved quickly over the terrain, attempting to cover as much territory as they could, before the sun forced them to seek sleep and shelter. They had covered over forty miles by the time Shido pointed to some trees in a secluded grove that hadn't seen humans for some time.

The two vampires found an ancient tree that had rotted and fallen over, onto the ground. The two could fit inside of the giant, eaten-out trunk, and it would give them both natural cover from the sun. No human seemed to come to this forest, and none would think to lift up the harmless log to see what was underneath.

Making two beds out of dried leaves, the two laid down next to each other before Shido pulled the hollowed trunk down on top of them, sealing them in darkness.

Riho tried to get comfortable, but it was proving to be difficult. It wasn't because she wasn't used to sleeping outside. In the past months, she and Shido had had to sleep in some of the most uncomfortable places on earth, like sewers, gutters, graveyards, and even in a garbage dump. However, what made her uncomfortable was of what was going to happen after this long, hard journey was over.

"Shido-san?"

"Hmm?" the violet-haired vampire answered back, surprised she was still awake.

She curled up her fingers in tiny fists at her nervousness, "Umm…what—what do you think will happen when we reach the Empire?"

He sighed as he tried to answer to the best of his ability. "You know that the New Empire is vampyr territory, Riho. It is the only place where we will be safe."

"But will the other vampires accept us?"

He knew that all creatures of the night, just like humans, could be unpredictable. However, he knew that he would handle the petty squabbles he people sported, over the raging mobs any day.

"It will be okay, Riho. Even though we are no longer lovers, that does not mean I will not protect you if need be. You are my daughter and my responsibility. As we travel on, I will teach about vampire society and what you will have to know to survive there. But once you assimilate to the lifestyle and grow into your powers, you will become quite a vampire in your own right."

Encouraged by his words, Riho closed her eyes and slowly let her body shut down, going into the slumber of the undead.

Shido watched her fall asleep before sighing once again. He hadn't had the heart to tell her that it would be a hard road from fledgling to full-grown vampire, and that she would probably not achieve a rank higher than common vampire. But hopefully, she would meet another nightwalker who would be the mate that she deserved, and he would keep her safe until that time.

Thinking back to his own mate, he knew that Cain would be busy in the Empire and would find out about him eventually. As of this point, he didn't know how he felt about the ex-lover, or if he even hated the vampire as much as he used to—or at least _thought_ he used to. These past months had changed many of his thoughts and feelings, and he was not certain of anything anymore.

He didn't know how he would handle another meeting with his former master, so he decided to effectively push all thoughts of Cain from out of his mind. He needed to get to the Empire first. Only after he had braved those dangers, could he think about other things.

Closing his eyes, he sent his senses out to make sure no danger threatened their resting place, before he too began shutting down his heart and lungs. His consciousness slipped away from him, just as the sun began to rise over the horizon.

_The world had gone to hell, and we are still trying to escape…two demons trying to run away, back into the night. _

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! This is my first nightwalker fic and I'm going to be taking it slow. Please review and give me feedback! I wanted to clear some things up first. I DO NOT like Riho. I think she is a positively annoying character. However, I'm too nice to kill her off. She'll be around in the first part of this story, but she will not be getting back together with Shido. This is a Cain/Shido story, just so every thing is clear. Thank You! And enjoy!**


	2. The Missing Lord

**Chapter 2—The Missing Lord**

"So you checked everywhere?"

The scout trembled at his master's cold voice, wishing that he hadn't been the unlucky one that had drawn the short straw to deliver the unfavorable information.

"We checked the entire vicinity, my lord. There was no trace of Lord Tatsuhiko. The building was completely destroyed."

The vampire scout shifted as his master's golden eyes seemed to pierce into his soul, "I want you to take the others and get back out there, and I don't want to see any of your faces again, until you bring me some _useful_ news. Do you **understand **me?"

The lowly creature of the night only nodded rapidly, anxious to be released and out from under his master's icy gaze. "Your word is law, my lord."

"Well then, what are you waiting for?"

The vampire quickly left the room, relieved that he was able to escape his master unscathed. He knew the rest of the scouting party wouldn't be happy to be sent back into human territory, but none of them would defy the orders. He just hoped they found the one they sought, and that it would preferably be sooner than later…

Cain turned away from the common vampire that had just left and turned back to look out the window of his castle. A sick feeling of worry that had been going through him for months, settled back into his stomach as he looked out into the night.

_Oh, Shido…_

Ever since this war with the humans had started months ago, Cain worried constantly about the welfare of his childe out in Japan. The more he thought about it, he wondered to himself why he hadn't done something more to ensure his mate's life.

_I should have just taken him home by force. His pride would be hurt, but at least I would know that he was safe within the protection of my walls and my rooms, rather than wandering somewhere out there, at the mercy of those filthy humans. _

He had sent scouts out in search of his mate, but so far they could find not a single trace of his lovely Shido. They all probably thought it was a fool's errand and that he was already dead. However, Cain knew differently.

He was Shido's master, his creator. If his young one were truly dead, he would have felt it. No, his mate was still out there somewhere, and until he was returned to the safety of his arms, he would not stop looking. His only regret was that he could not search for his childe himself.

With the war on, as well as the issue of protection for the new Empire, he had his hands full with politics and meetings, with keeping his own territory and court, as well as the Empire's borders that needed to be protected. There were thoughts of expanding them all the way across Western Europe as well, so they wouldn't be boxed in on two sides by their enemies. Even thought it would be a rough fight, he believed that it could be done. He had to make sure his beloved still had a safe home to come back to, even though the constant bureaucracy was driving him out of his mind…

Cain stood still, gazing out into the night, and the lands of his region, his thoughts continuing to be firmly centered upon his delightful, yet frustratingly willful childe, when a knock came to the door.

He could already sense who it was, and wondered why the young vampire had decided to come. He could only think of one subject to which this particular nightwalker would make the long journey. _Did he have some idea as to where Shido was?_

"Come, Gwyn."

The youthful master vampire entered the room silently, his long black hair was tied back at the nape of his neck and continued to flow down his back. It accented his pale skin and blue eyes, his tall stature and stenciled features reflected his northern European origins.

The male wore loose black garments in the tradition of his Norse relatives, a gold ring upon his right ring finger. The ring carried the crest of the northern court in Cain's lands. The ring not only symbolized that he was part of Raphael's—Cain's 1st Lieutenant's—court, but he was also Raphael's mate and therefore protected by both his and his lieutenant's authority.

Gwyn bowed before his senior and waited for Cain to address him.

The blond looked over his shoulder at the vampire, "So, why have you traveled so far from your mate's province, Gwyn?"

The brunette looked up at him, "My lord, I have come to ask if there is any news concerning Lord Shido?"

Cain turned to him fully and sighed, "No news as of yet. Every minute he is out there alone and unprotected, it is a closer possibility that those wretched humans will capture him, or worse. Everyday, the situation keeps getting worse."

Gwyn stood as the other nodded his permission, "If I may sir, can I ask your allowance to go out and search for him…my lord?"

The High Lord turned to him in surprise, "I already have my own mate lost out there. I'm not going to risk the mate of my First Lieutenant. Have you approached Raphael about this?"

Gwyn's face gained a placating look that usually earned him, anyone's direct attention. "Please hear me out, my lord! Raphael already understands what Shido's absence has been doing to you. And with the war with the mortals now upon us, it is vital that he returns to us and to you, sir! We need you in this perilous time, and I am willing to risk my life to achieve our goals."

The ancient vampire turned away from the young master of the north, even though he knew there was truth in his words. For a century he had tried to survive, but without his mate by his side, he would never be able to be whole again. However, he knew there were other reasons that Gwyn was making this plea. "Why don't you get to the heart of the matter? You were Shido's best friend since you were fledglings; I know you are also very worried about him. However, I cannot let you risk yourself out there. I have sent out a retrieval team to look for Shido at this very moment, and I can assure you that this matter will not go unresolved."

Cain felt his fangs lengthen in response to his building anger, "I will either bring him home, or make certain his death is avenged."

* * *

Gwyn looked away in exasperated defeat. Cain was right in that even though he was worried about his High Lord's health and the security of the Empire, he was even more concerned with whether his comrade was alive or dead.

He had been grief-stricken when Shido had disappeared over a century ago, and the entire territory had felt the effects of Cain's wrath. After the initial rage had cooled down, the High Lord would leave for months at a time, leaving the territory in the hands of his four lieutenants. This included, his own mate, 1st Lt. Raphael of the North, 2nd Lt. Cyrus of the East, 3rd Lt. Falcon of the South, and 4th Lt. Genesis of the West. They all were all trusted master vampires that Cain had appointed to rule under him. But there was only so much they could do without Cain's authority and leadership.

However, Gwyn could truly care less about politics. He was only a master _de facto_, which wasn't a very strong rank on one's own. He had achieved the rank of master because his mate was one, but he was a master in name only. In essence, he was only a common vampire, and common vampires didn't need to get involved with the affairs of their sires.

He and Shido had both been common vampires—later to be given higher ranks via their mates—and the two had become fast friends when they met in Cain's court. While both of their masters were very territorial of them, the two had approved of their friendship since the two were of the same rank and approximately the same age.

He smiled inwardly as he remembered the many days and adventures the two had spent together, hunting together, playing together, and of course, the more intimate and sensual activities that encompasses a vampiric friendship.

Now while he trusted Cain's retrieval team to do their jobs, it had been months without any results, and he possessed powers that none of the others had. Even before he had been reborn as a vampire, he had had the power of psychometry. As a psychometrist, he could obtain details, and practically a whole story about another person through physical contact with their body or with their possessions, most likely going through the whole tale from that person's point of view.

This was an intensely rare and costly ability for vampires, and an almost nonexistent one for humans. It required severe control and strength, and Gwyn suffered continuously for it. However, there were times when his powers proved to be an asset. He knew that he would be able to find Shido if he was given a chance, but both his masters seemed to be too overprotective…

"Sir, I may only be a master in name, and a common vampire by nature, but I can defend myself and fight with the best of them in battle. I am sure Lord Shido is the same. I know he is still alive out there. If you only give me a chance, you know my powers will give me the advantage and bring him home sooner rather than later."

Cain had to admit that the boy had determination and resilience on his side, and that his psychometric powers could prove valuable in the search.

"I'll give the team another week to accomplish their job. If they have not found Shido by then, you may go and search him out. However, I want Raphael to place two of his best to go with you. Is that understood?"

Gwyn exhaled a silent sight of relief. Raph had already made it plain before he left, that if Cain allowed him to go out in search, he would not be going unescorted. He would be patient and hope and pray for his dear friend's safety, until he could go after the rebellious male himself.

"Thank you my Lord Cain, I promise that when the time comes I **will** find him."

Cain nodded and watched the younger vampire disappear from the room in a hazing mist.

* * *

Seeing Gwyn, brought fresh memories of his lost mate back to his heavy heart. Going back to his own private chambers, he pushed open a set of curtains that revealed what had once been Shido's rooms. The suite had been miraculously up kept yet untouched ever since his little one had foolishly run away all those nights ago.

Walking up to a large chest that stood on the vanity, he quietly opened it and fingered through the jewels and trinkets kept inside, until he found a single gold ring that matched the one Gwyn wore. The only difference was the fact that the crest was his own, and the style was more antique and elaborate.

A ghost of a smile appeared on his lips, "Come home, beloved. I await your return. And I beg of you, please stay safe until I find you."

He then thought of the ruthless humans and their barbarous and vicious acts of cruelty they had committed against his kind. _And they have the nerve to call __**us**__ "monsters"!_

His lovely mate was lost in their world, his life now in constant danger. Who knew what those wretched monsters would do to him if he was captured. The dreaming vision that Shido was, even with his strength and endurance, he wouldn't be able to last a month in one of their concentration camps.

His hand gripped forcefully around the signet ring, as he thought of his Shido in mortal slaughterers' grip. "If _anyone_ hurts you, touches your soft skin, or draws your succulent blood…they will not escape my fury, and vengeance will be mine and mine alone. For death shall visit that person for the final time, whether he be vampire or human, mortal or immortal—as payment for touching what is _mine_…"

* * *

**A/N: Okay, I decided to put up the second chapter and I wanted to give Shido some friends back in the old country. Gwyn is going to be an interesting character to write, so I enjoy the challenge. We will get to see Shido, Riho, and another new character by next chapter! Be there!**


	3. The Lieutenant

**Chapter 3- The Lieutenant**

"The New Empire is ruled by seven High Lords, each having their own territory and central court. When I lived there, the lords constantly squabbled and fought with each other for dominance, but in recent days, they have put all their differences behind them and have united in order to protect their land from the attacks by the humans. Anyway, every High Lord has four lieutenants directly under him. Think of them as four vice-presidents under a CEO. The lieutenants are high-ranking master vampires handpicked by the High Lord, and their courts are made up of other master and common vampires that live within their respective territories.

"Each has their own court and small province within the Lord's own. Each lieutenant has control of their own territory even though they are all under the ultimate power of the High Lord. Their subsidiary courts are situated at the four cardinal points and the courts and lieutenants are titled as such. For example, the court of the north is ruled by 2nd Lieutenant so-in-so of the North, the court of the south is led by 4th Lieutenant so-in-so of the South, and so on. Now that the lycans and fae have also joined the Empire, they have their own small areas to live, and have a voice in the Superior Council, but the vampires definitely are the dominate species in the Empire."

Shido had spent the last couple of hours explaining to Riho about the world of the nightwalkers and what type of society she could expect once she got to the Empire. He would stop every so often and she would ask questions, or ask him to go over something again. It had been three days since they had left the cover of the little copse of trees and headed closer and closer to their destination.

Riho walked by her guardian's side, mentally chewing over what he had said. "And what about the nightbreed, Shido-san? Where do they fit in?"

The violet-haired male frowned at the thought of the slimy monsters who hid in the shadows and crawled into the gutters. "They have always been thought of as disdainful parasites by vampires, just as they have been by humans, but for different reasons. Humans hate the nightbreed because they fear them, just as they fear all the walkers of the night. Vampires detest the nightbreed because they are more often then not, mindless creatures with no sense civility or cultivation and hid within their host rather than be proud of what they are. The nightbreed are not to be bothered with in the Empire, and are not considered to be a threat or an asset. They simple are left to their own devices."

She thought of this, and wondered if this was why the vampires they had encountered thus far, had not cared two cents about the nightbreed that Shido-san had destroyed for a living. As she went over all the facts now running around in her head, she came up with another question. "All these ranks that a vampire can have, what do they mean, Shido-san?"

He shifted a stray hair that the wind had blown out of place, back behind his ear. "There are essentially four types of vampire: a fledgling like you Riho-chan, a common vampire, a master vampire, and lord vampire. All of the undead are reborn as fledglings and eventually grow in power to become one of the other three. I became a common vampire."

Riho blinked in surprise, "You're incredibly strong to me, Shido-san. Why are you only a common vampire?"

He laughed for what felt like the first time in a long time, "Well common vampires can have a lot of freedom despite being the weakest of the three. And we're not bound by so many rules and protocols, even if we can't have out own land or participate in politics."

He didn't think that now was the time to tell her that he was not actually a regular common vampire. To tell her that, he would have to explain how common vampires could become higher in rank if they had a stronger mate, and he didn't quite want to approach the subject of "mating" just yet. The thought of _de facto_ ranks gave way to sudden sad memories as his friend—his _tovarishch_—came to mind.

The companion he had left behind in his old life so long ago, had been mated to one of Cain's lieutenants. He had often wondered about Gwyn during all those years apart, and if he had missed him as much as he had him. What would he do when he saw him again? For he knew that Gwyn would be drawn to his presence, just as surely as Cain would, and he hoped that when the time came, that the raven-haired vampire would at least speak a word to him. Even if that word was one that would dissolve their friendship and give Shido the reward he deserved for deserting his comrade as he did.

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted, when unexpected sounds pricked his ears. They had been running through the abandoned streets of some empty, abandoned town in the western extremity of China, when he had heard the distinct sounds of fighting—flesh hitting flesh, scuffling on the pavement, and even the unmistakenable zapping sounds of a UV rifle. Someone was chasing a creature of the night…

The first thing he had wanted to do was go the opposite direction, survival foremost in his mind. However, one look at his childe, and a small sliver of his forgotten principles came back to the surface.

She looked at him pleadingly, "Please Shido-san, we can't leave whoever it is to die. They will kill him if we don't do something!"

He thought about the situation, and even though the idea that the victimized creature was simple another ravenous nightbreed crossed his mind, he decided that no creature deserved to be played with and tortured by the humans.

Moving carefully towards the sounds of the skirmish, Shido looked around the corner of the building, all the while keeping himself and Riho out of sight. What he saw made his stomach churn and his claws and fangs extend in anger.

* * *

Six human soldiers stood jeering around a young male vampire, who was struggling tooth and claw against their taunt chains of silver that held him pinned to the ground, and under the constant shots from their cruel UV rifles. Every hit of concentrated light burned the male's pale skin to the bone, and even with the vampiric ability of fast healing, it was apparent that the vampire was suffering.

One of the soldiers, the leader it seemed, kicked the captured male's side violently. His voice was just a vicious as his actions, "How the tables have turned monster. You and your kind hunted us for years, and now—it's time for you to be the prey."

The trapped male didn't respond except with a sneer and a snap of his feral canine teeth.

Not able to get a rise out of their quarry, the leader pulled out a hunter's knife and quickly straddled the nightwalker's chest. Ignoring the thrashing jaws, he slowly began to trail the blade's point along the male's chest, watching with cruel glee as the blood escaped in response.

The vampire snarled even louder as he felt the knife point dig deeper and another hand pulled back on his long azure colored locks, before putting another knife to his revealed throat. Despair began to hit him as he realized that this might actually be the end for him. _How did he get to his point? What would his lord do in response to his death?_ Of all the ways he had expected to die, this was not one he had imagined, even when he had volunteered for this mission.

Suddenly, a low-pitched whine sounded twice through the air, unheard by the humans, but ringing clear as a bell in the male's sharp ears. He recognized the signal instantly and let a ghost of a smile light upon his face. He gathered his strength and became a still as he could, coiled like a cobra ready to strike any time, even as the soldier carved up his torso and a blade tip was tickling his jugular.

One of the other observing soldiers took notice of this. "What? All the fight out of you, vampire?"

The male's smile got even wider as he spied the glint of two golden eyes peering from directly behind the soldiers back. He spoke for the first time since he had been captured, catching the humans by surprise.

"Well now, that would be telling now, wouldn't it?"

Before the man could even question further, he gasped as his ribs were smashed into and his lungs and heart ripped out! Before the dead corpse had even fallen to the ground, a second soldier's neck snapped under mysterious hands, coming out of the darkness.

The remaining four soldiers stood up and went into fighting stances, searching around them for the unknown assailant.

"Spread out men, that nightbreed isn't going to get away from us." The leader barked out, raising his rifle.

The captured blue-haired vampire mentally snorted in indignation at their words. It was no mere nightbreed that they faced, but a child of darkness, a walker of the night that hunted them. While all their attention was distracted, the captured vampire pulled harder on his bonds, trying to withstand his pain as he fought to get free.

Out of the blue, a soft hand touched his shoulder in reassurance, before moving to his shackled right wrist!

A lovely, whimsical voice whispered in his ear, "Do not worry, we'll get you out of here."

Looking towards the owner of the voice, he blinked at the sight of the female, who was under an invisibility veil, working through his shackles. He could tell she was a very young fledgling, and a very beautiful one at that. She seemed scared but determined to free him. He found her innocence rather cute. He hadn't seen that in any vampiress he had ever met before.

"What is your name, young one? What are you doing out here alone and unprotected? What province do you belong to?"

She smiled at his questions and he suddenly felt as if the North Star had decided to envelop him. She pricked her finger on her sharp canine and let the resulting blood form into a knife's blade. Quickly breaking apart his chains with the blood-knife, she answered him. "My name is Riho. I am not alone but with my guardian, Shido-san. And I don't belong to any kind of province anymore. I'm traveling from Japan to the new Empire."

He nodded, quickly gathering that vampire keeping the humans busy was probably this Shido person. He watched the auburn-haired vision of exquisiteness continued in her task, while he used whatever power he could muster to reinforce her invisibility shield. It wasn't much but it was clear that it helped, as she smiled at him in gratitude. Man, it was worth it, if only for that smile…

He had been on the edge of starvation when the humans had found him, and thus was the reason for his capture. In any other situation, the mortals wouldn't have even been able to touch him. But even now, he struggled on the edge of consciousness as his precious blood continued to drip down from the cuts on his chest, the wounds slowly taking their time in healing.

Shido watched Riho set the male lose out of the corner of his eye, as he played a game of cat and mouse with the remaining four soldiers that he had yet to kill. He interrupted his thoughts by grabbing a man around his jaw, using his claws in a quick lethal twist, and pulling out the man's entrails, his hand muffling the dying screams.

Better make that _three _soldiers…

He watched from the shadows as the other three men were beginning to get spooked. He let a small leering smile appear upon his face. It was about time the hunted became the hunter once again.

He shifted his body and quickly took care of the last two lackeys, with quick swipes across the throat cutting the arteries and veins in their neck, killing them instantly. As their bodies dropped to the earth, he had to dodge quickly as the leader fired upon him. He laughed aloud, his voice the epitome of patronization. "Oh come on! Is that all you got? I guess you're only good at anything, when it's against the weak and defenseless, huh?"

The human began firing even more rapidly, "You can only run away for so long, nightbreed!"

Shido laughed once more, evading the bullets and light rays with ease before pouncing on the lone soldier from behind. Easily disarming him with a kick, he restrained the soldier in both arms with a steel grip, sinking his bloodied claws into the man's neck for good measure.

He whispered into the man's ear, watching all the bravado drain out of the human's face. "Now see, first, I wasn't running away. And two, I'm a night_walker_, mortal. It would be good for you to remember that—at least for the remaining time of your life that is…"

Shido didn't loosen his grip one bit as he turned around to look back at Riho, who was approaching him slowly, the stranger supported weakly on her shoulders. "Is he alright?"

Riho looked at the blue-haired vampire who slumped against her shoulder, "He's totally drained, Shido-san. I've healed him as much as I could but, he needs to feed and fast. Do you want me to give my blood?"

He shook his head, "That is unnecessary, Riho. I'll feed him."

Shido moved towards her, jerking the soldier along with him none to kindly, causing the human to complain and cry out. He quickly silenced him by driving his claws in deeper, cutting into the man's windpipe.

He then bent down and looked at the unfamiliar vampire. He was probably about a century younger then him, about the same height and build, with hair the color of cornflowers. His skin was as white as a sheet showing how dire the situation was, but the fact that the male was still semiconscious showed the amount of potential power lay beneath the surface.

He spoke to him, switching back to the customary Romanian that all vampires from the old country could speak with fluency. "Dvs aprobaþi fratele meu?"

The male blinked and looked up at him with hazy brown eyes, the golden light having left them. "De asemenea eu eventual aº putea sã fiu, fratele."

Riho looked back and forth between the two, unable to understand a word. "Shido-san?"

Shido looked up at her and smiled, remembering that he had yet to teach his childe how to speak the language of the motherland. "I asked him if he was okay, and he answered that he's as well as can be expected."

She looked down as the man she was carrying, "How come he could understand me, when I first talked to him?"

The blue-haired stranger laughed charmingly before looking up at her. "I can speak…many languages…it is just custom…for two nightwalkers to speak in…Romanian…upon first meeting."

Before Riho could even think about becoming embarrassed for not knowing undead protocol, the man's eyes rolled back into his head and he totally collapsed upon her sending them both to the ground!

Knowing he had very little time to work with, Shido began to act fast and pushed his captive mortal to the ground, not even bothering to listen to the man's whining and pleading.

Yanking his claws out of the human's neck, he watched the blood flow out in gushes and quickly pressed the other vampire's mouth against the wound. "Drink, my brother of the night, for I will not lose you now."

He continued to hold on stubbornly until he made sure that the male had latched on of his own accord. When the other vampire had taken in enough sustenance to be able to support himself, he grabbed the dying human with both hands and drove his fangs in deep, lapping up every bit of the life-giving blood into his starving system.

Shido stepped away and watched the life flow from out of the human and into the nightwalker. It was true that it took death to give another life; that was just how everything worked. Death and life lived hand in hand, and it just so happened that for once in a long time, he could see true justice being served…

As he turned to look at Riho, he caught her starring at the stranger they had just rescued with a funny look on her face. "Riho."

She jumped lightly and looked at him with her bright blue eyes, wide as double full moons. "Y-Yes, Shido-san?"

"It's rude to stare at someone while they're eating."

She blushed even heavier than before, and completely did an about face before searching for something—anything—else to talk about. "U-Um, Shido-san, how did you know that he would recognize the signal you made?"

He looked at her curiously, "Any vampire would. We are all taught the signal as fledglings, that that particular sound means one thing: hang on, for help was on the way. Two high-pitched whistles for "need for assistance" and two low-pitched whines signals that you heard and that help is coming. Make sure to remember this Riho-chan if you ever get into trouble, okay?"

She nodded in response, "We should get out of here soon. The night is almost through and other soldiers will surely come looking for their missing comrades."

Shido picked up an abandoned UV rifle from off the ground, and with one quick movement and utilizing his superior strength, he broke the gun in half!

Throwing the pieces to the ground, he looked at the littering corpses solemnly. "Ever since the Bloody Constantine Massacre, the world has goon to Hell and we are but trying to simply survive the flames."

The sound of another gun breaking in half reached his ear, and he turned to see their new companion, now at least somewhat recharged, throw another broken weapon of pain and torture to the ground. "Your words are elegiac, poet. And sadly they are very true."

Walking up to them, the strange vampire elegantly bowed, looking very aristocratic despite the torn, burnt clothes, and dried blood upon his now fully healed skin. "I owe my life to the two of you. I hope you can accept this humble gift of thanks until we reach the Empire. I then will be able to thank you in a more substantial way."

Shido stepped slightly in front of Riho and bowed himself, easily falling back into protocol. "No such thanks is necessary, it was my pleasure and my duty to help you. My name is Shido Tatsuhiko, and this is my cohort, Riho Yamazaki. We are refugees, traveling from the Far East."

The other nodded in response, "Many have come from that direction, but only the lucky make it to the safety of the Empire. I can tell that you have been to the Empire before, Tatsuhiko. Yet, you are a common vampire? What are doing so far away from the homeland, and with a fledgling in tow?"

Shido narrowed his eyes in response, his voice becoming a degree colder. "My secrets are my own, master vampire. I have my reasons, and Riho has never seen the lands of the Empire. We too wish to be away from the bloodthirsty humans that would kill us in an instant if we were caught. You should know this better than anyone."

The stranger watched as the lovely young female hid behind the rifled male in fear at the words he spoke, and instantly he was regretful for his harsh language. "I apologize for prying, I meant no offense. You two are my saviors and I am interrogating you as if you were criminals…"

He then bowed low again, this time a golden amulet fell from between his shirt folds, hanging on a golden chain by his neck. "You must also pardon my rudeness for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Azrael, 4th Lieutenant of the East, faithful servant and deputy enforcer to High Lord Aeon."

Shido looked at him in surprise. The man was quite young to be a lieutenant, but the amulet around his neck proved it. He could tell at first glance that the male had been a master vampire, just as the other could tell right off that he was a common vampire in nature. However, he knew all the High Lords, and could easily recognize Lord Aeon's crest.

Azrael noted Shido's surprise a laughed slightly, "I know. You're asking yourself how a master vampire, a lieutenant at that, could get captured by some weakly mortals."

"The mortals aren't weak anymore, Master Azrael. The constant slaughter of our brethren night after night has proven that. However, while that question did not really come to mind immediately, I do wonder as to what you are doing caught on the other side of the Empire's border?"

He sighed and moved even closer to the couple, obviously slightly embarrassed. "Save the niceties for court, Tatsuhiko. You can simply call me Azrael."

"Then I insist you just call me Shido, agreed?"

Azrael nodded in response, "Agreed. As to what I am doing here, I was sent on a mission by my lord to do some reconnaissance. My team was lost in a human ambush in Nepal and I was the only one left. I traveled on foot all the way back to the empire with the information that our people so desperately need, not stopping for anything and constantly evading my pursuers. It got to the point that I had not feed in so long, that my body began to betray me and led to weakness, which ultimately led me to being captured by these trackers. I'm indebted to you, Shido and Riho, and so are our people, since the information I have may prove to be invaluable in our battle against the mortals. The border to our land is not far away, and to know that the humans have moved this close, means that we might have to speed up our plans."

Before Shido could respond, he heard a small feminine voice speak from behind him, full of hope. "So we'll be in the new Empire soon? We won't have to run anymore?"

Riho was suddenly surprised when the handsome, blue haired lieutenant appeared in front of her, taking her hand in his and placing a chaste kiss upon its surface. "Yes, little one. You shall be safe in the Empire soon, and I shall take you to my province where I will find a place for you and Shido to live. It is the least I can do after all you've done for me."

Azrael inwardly smiled at the delightful way precious Riho's cheeks flushed. However, he also looked in his peripheral vision at Shido and was relieved to see no hint of jealousy or fury, arise from the older male. Only a careful look of scrutiny came upon the common vampire's face. _Interesting…so Shido was not the girl's lover, but only her protector… Hmm, this could be very interesting indeed…_

An inner smirk appeared as a plan cultivated within his mind. He looked toward Shido and spoke out the first part of his idea. "I have an idea. We should all go together, since there is more safety in numbers. What say you, Shido?"

The violet-haired vampire nodded, "Your idea has merit. However, dawn is quickly approaching. We need to find a safe place to rest before the next rising."

Azrael thought about that for a moment, "There is an abandoned farmhouse about twenty miles west from here. Will that suffice?"

Shido nodded before putting his arm around Riho's shoulders and leading her in the proposed direction.

The master vampire began to follow them, a touch of envy hitting his heart as he watched the close contact the two were having. Under his breath he muttered his inner thoughts, "L va fi vã va urmãri cu privirea, Shido Tatsuhiko."

_I'll be watching you, Shido Tatsuhiko…_

He was suddenly surprised, when Shido himself answered back. "Pe mãsura ce eu vreau, locotenentul."

_As will I lieutenant…as will I… _


	4. Memories

**A/N**: Well, I'm back and I know it's been awhile, but here is a longer chapter for your reading pleasure! However, there are some notes that will have to do with the rest of this story.

Taking a page out of DeSora's book, I have decided to create an ancient language for the nightwalkers that is actually a mixture of a lot of real languages put together. This includes, Latin, Czech, Croatian, Bulgarian, Romanian, and Russian. The vampires still do speak Romanian and English, but there are certain terms that I had to create on my own. Just keep them in mind and enjoy!

**_carusevo_**--The name given to the weaker member of a mated couple. He/She is under the protection and providence of the more dominant member of the pair.

_**milýani**--_The name given to the stronger and more dominant member of a mated pair. It is his/her duty to care for all of his mate's need and ensure his/her protection and happiness.

**_tovarishch_**--a comrade and best friend, usually joined by a blood bond that seals the friendship. (those who watch Trinity Blood have heard this term)

* * *

**Chapter 4--Memories**

"_Solar_ Missiles?"

Shido and Azrael had been busy cleaning up after their last resting sight, as the vampire lieutenant had been explaining some of the things he had observed in his spy missions to the human strongholds.

"They're weapons that could take out over 200 of us in one hit. It would give a single explosion that would send out rays 150 times more powerful than the sun's."

Shido issued a Romanian curse as he thought of the ramifications of such a weapon. "How are our armed forces supposed to deal with something like that?"

Azrael flipped his long blue plait behind his back and brushed his long bangs out of his eyes, before mentally refreshing his clothes and body. It wasn't as nice as an actual physical shower, but it was efficient and gave the same results.

"We will have to reinforce our defenses and come up with new weapons of our own to battle those disgraceful mortals. However, it's the humans' military forces in Tibet or India that have me concerned. They are congregating further and further south, but whether it's to initiate a battle with us, I do not know."

Shido tied his long lavender hair back as he began to think about what his traveling companion had said. Unlike the lieutenant, Shido had spent the better part of more than a hundred years in the human world and had adapted to its culture. His mind could think like a human's if he wanted it to, and he could instantly see many strategic plots that could involve the mortal armies' movements.

His sharp ears suddenly heard the sound of a small petite yarn. Turning, he saw Riho rising from her resting place, a small hand over her mouth as she looked up into the moon. She smiled at both men with that demure grin of hers. "I'm sorry for waking up so late; I was just really tired yesterday."

Before she could even make an attempt to stand up, Azrael was suddenly at her side, his hand offered to help her to her feet. A slight blush came to her face at the charming gesture, and clasped her hand around his, letting herself be pulled up gracefully from the ground. However, once she was standing he didn't let go of her hand, but instead laid a light kiss upon it, before letting it drift from his grip.

With a sparkling grin, he said, "It's perfectly alright, Riho-chan. You just made the whole night even brighter."

Bending down to the ground in front of her, he held his hand over the ground, letting his energy and spirit speak to the earth and commanding it to his will. The auburn headed vampiress gasped as she suddenly saw a small plant begin to grow at supernatural speeds from out of the ground. Within a single minute, as if by magic, a solitary small rose bush had erupted from the forest floor, the flora at the peak of their beauty.

Snapping of a perfect blue rose from off the bush (the stem surprisingly without any thorns), Azrael offered it to the girl, who looked up him with amazement. "A beautiful nocturnal bloom for you, my _pretioasa floare la miezul nopţii_."

She smiled and took the flower, her blush growing as she tied it within the tresses of her hair. "I have no idea what you just said, but I'm sure it was something sweet. How did you do that?"

He blinked and looked at her curiously, "Surely you know that we, the walkers of the night, have powers over the greenery of the earth?"

As she shook her head, he laughed amused and turned to Shido, who stood behind them leaning against a tree, watching with a wry smile on his face. "You have not taught your childe well, Tatsuhiko. How could you have neglected to tell her that she is mistress over flora and can communicate with the fauna?"

The emerald-eyed male hunched his shoulders before turning from them, "We did not have much flora or fauna in the concrete jungle of Tokyo, so it kind of would have no purpose in our past lives. And as of now, we were too busy running for our lives for me to be able to teach anything."

Azrael shook his head in laughter before turning to Riho with a charming smile, "Do not worry, little one. I shall teach you what your sire has neglected."

The bronze-haired girl let a look of mock discontent come over her, "Shido-san is a very good teacher, Azrael. You shouldn't say such things."

Shido had to hold down his own laughter as he watched his childe march away in disapproval, while a distraught blue-haired vampire followed her, pleading vigorously for her pardon. He knew of course that Riho was just playing with the young suitor, but Azrael would treat her displeasure seriously nevertheless. The master vampire sooo wanted to be on her good side.

The two's antics soon became a game of chase mixed with hide-and-seek, as Riho flitted through the forest, keeping just out of sight of the young master. Shido sighed as he realized that his little daughter was indeed growing up. He was astute enough to realize that over the past week or so, the lieutenant and his childe had become quite close to one another.

It hadn't taken long for Azrael to realize the nature of the platonic relationship between himself and his female companion, and from then on he had stayed on Shido's good side while making attempts to begin a courtship between himself and Riho.

Riho herself, was completely smitten with the master vampire, even though she tried not to let anyone know it. Though his childe had a feisty streak that had given her the inner strength to be able to endure this horrible ordeal so far, she was truly a kind, sweet soul that belayed the standard form of a nightwalker. Whoever became her mate would have to be understanding and patient, as well as strong and supportive. And as he got to know the male more and more, he had to admit that Azrael was indeed becoming a choice candidate.

Even now, though he covered it well, both he and Shido knew that he could have overtaken Riho with ease, outrunning and discovering her every hiding place with the efficiency of a deadly predator. However he allowed the vampiress her pride and let the love of the chase wash over him, as was his nature.

Yes, the two were well-suited for each other, but there was plenty of time before any kind of final decision was made. A fledging could not be taken as a mate until they came of age, and Riho had sometime before she was old and experienced enough to be given a rank. Vampires mated for life, so it was not a choice to be taken lightly.

While nightwalkers, who were in essence, creatures of sensation; they could have any number of romantic rendezvous and sexual relationships. In fact it was quite expected of the weaker common vampires. However, as a strict rule of vampyr law, one could only have a single mate. One's mate shared everything with his or her partner. They had unrestricted rights to the other's property, land, rank, and title. The only way to terminate such a relationship would be only in the case of final death, and even then, the surviving mate would live the rest of his unnatural life—alone.

Shaking his head in an attempt to clear his head from the idea of mates, he settled just to watch the antics of the two young lovers. However, that did no good as memories, sparked by the pair, were renewed fresh in his mind…

* * *

"Ha, ha! Is that the best you can do?"

Shido laughed happily as he watched his best friend try to catch up to him, as the two ran around in the forest of their homeland.

"I'll catch you yet, _tovarishch_. Just you wait!" Gwyn smirked as he rushed through the trees with ease, following the speeding figure of the violet-haired vampire.

The two had spent the night hours together, escaping from a tedious court session by going into the forests for a moonlight hunt. However after the two had taken their fill on a group of camping hunters in the forest's outskirts, their hunt had turned to play and games of tag and wrestling ensued.

Hours passed as the two enjoyed their jaunt, unconsciously going further and further away from the castle. They were on their latest game of chase, when a chill seemed to come through the air and mist began to rise from the earth, signaling the arrival or another—more powerful—presence.

"You two shouldn't be out here alone." An arctic, authoritative voice cut through the echo of their laughter.

The two vampires came down to the ground and watched as the fog rolled and whisked away to reveal an impressive but familiar figure.

Dressed in his usual regal clothing, his black cape surrounding his ominous and intimidating stature, Cain came out of the darkness, his usually stoic face displaying a light smile as he looked upon the two young males.

Gwyn immediately went down on one knee in front of the golden-eyed vampire, his eyes to the ground. "Lord Cain, we didn't wish to be any trouble sir."

The older male nodded, "You know as I do that it would have been no trouble at all. I expect you to take special care of your life, especially when you're in the company of my mate. Speak nothing of having compromised his own safety, he seems very fond of you and he would be very unhappy if something were to happen to you. You know that I cannot tolerate him being unhappy, correct?"

Shido stood to the side against a tree, his arms folded as he tried to stop himself from laughing aloud. His master loved to intimidate others, but both he and Gwyn knew better.

Gwyn smiled inwardly, but kept his voice steady as he responded to the High Lord. "My apologies, my lord."

Cain motioned towards the north, "Raphael is preparing to head back to his territory, I suggest you catch up with him before he leaves without you."

The raven-haired master vampire couldn't resist a small snigger. Raphael knew better. If he even wanted a ghost of chance of sharing his bed sometime in the near future, the loyal lieutenant would wait.

'_You have your mate curled around your finger, Gwyn. However, you had better go.'_

The master flicked his eyes over at his best friend for a second, acknowledging the other's mental comment with one of his own. _'You are one to talk. Your mate is chastising __**me**__ for __your__ behavior. However, I guess that is just how things are. Our mates may call the shots, but we're the ones who make them count. Until our next meeting, _tovarishch_.'_

Gwyn stood and bowed at the waist to Cain first, then Shido. "Then it seems I must go. Farewell, Lord Cain, Lord Shido."

He then leaped up into the trees, flying across the branches back in the direction of the castle. He was soon flanked on both sides by two of his mate's soldiers in escort.

When the other was gone, Shido looked up at his mate with a knowing smirk. "I know you were just trying to get rid of him, Cain. If you wanted to get me alone, you had but to wait."

The blond smiled furtively and took a few steps forward, "I don't wait for anyone, _carusevo_. You should know that by now."

Shido stood his ground despite the hungry gaze in his master's eyes, and instead looked at him with mock disdain. "Yes, I know that patience is one of the many virtues that you failed to learn."

Pushing a purple lock from out of his face, younger vampire felt his breath quicken as his mate came up to within a hairsbreadth of him, causing him to have to look up at the taller male. The aristocratic lord's brilliant gold orbs seemed to look straight through him to his very depths, as if trying to find out his every secret and uncovering his very soul.

Being this close to such a commanding immortal, whose very presence instantly affected the very ground he walked on, would be enough to frighten the most valiant of nightwalkers to the very bone. However, Shido had never felt such fear. He felt entranced and intoxicated by the other's presence. His eyes, his scent, his hair, his mere existence seemed to send his blood pumping twice as fast through his dead heart, making his body temperature shoot up at least 10 degrees (which was saying something, since vampires didn't have a real temperature to begin with).

As Cain watched his childe's face begin to turn a charming pink color, his smirk widened to become rapacious. "Don't think I'm going to let you off so easily, Shido. You know better then to go off on your own without an escort."

The comment acting like a bucket of cold water over his head, the younger vampire rolled his eyes before turning away and distancing himself from his master. "Tch, I am no fledgling Cain. And it wasn't as if I was alone."

The blond let his eyes roam over the simply arousing figure of his Shido standing there in young defiance. His long, luscious, lavender tresses, shimmered in the bright moonlight as it cascaded over his shoulder wild and free, long ago having been abandoned by the emerald silk ribbon that had kept it bound.

It felt like forever since he had seen Shido alone, and he was determined to make up for lost time. How he wished he could simply run his fingers through those fine threads, while listening to the melody his mate's pants and moans as he trembled and quivered beneath him.

Well, the night was still young…

But first it seemed he had to placate his irate beloved, before he could think on more…pleasurable…activities.

"I did not mean to suggest that you are a child. I know that you are quite a warrior in your own right. However, I, as your mate, am responsible for your safety. As he is the mate to one of my lieutenants, I am responsible for Gwyn's safety as well. If you two must leave the safety of the castle, you are to have a trained escort with you at all times."

Shido looked over his shoulder, his jade eyes blazing, "You can not tell me what to do. I am no longer just your childe, I am also your _mate_. As such, I am equal to you in all things, and I shall do as I please. You know I hate being cooped up in that stone fortress while you go through tedious meetings. And those common vampires that you have as my escorts only look down on me in contempt. If I am ever to gain their respect as High Lord _de facto_, you must give me the allowance and room to do so!"

With astonishing speed, Cain's form appeared directly behind him, his muscular arms encircling his waist and pulling him closely against his chest, as his head was cradled securely beneath the other's chin.

"Has someone mistreated you, _carusevo_? I felt the sorrow in your heart, but I thought that it was because you missed my company."

Immediately after he had finished his tirade, Shido mentally cringed with regret. He had not meant for the elder vampire to know of his inner frustrations. Yet, maybe it was better this way…Cain seemed to always find out the truth anyway…

While his sire's voice was quiet and would have sounded nonchalant to most, Shido knew better. Under that still, placid façade, laid a fierce tempest that was growing stronger and stronger in ferocity by the minute. It was the calm before the storm—one that he would have to try to diffuse before heads, _literally_, began to roll…

He chuckled slightly before turning around and looking into Cain eyes, his arms automatically lacing themselves around the older male's neck. "You always think everything is about you, hmm? Well, I have news for you: I don't give you a single thought when you're away."

"You little liar…" The blond stated with amusement, letting a trace of affection seep into his tone. "We have a blood link remember? Now stop changing the subject. Who was it that has distressed you so?"

Shido closed his eyes and shook his head, "Cain, I have to deal with this myself. I need to fight my own battles."

He then leaned forward, touching his lips to the other's firm jaw line, fulfilling his temptation of tasting of the skin that lay there, all salty and musk, with a flavor that was all Cain's.

His mate had been away quite often in the recent months and both of them had been busy in meetings and such, because of the trouble brewing in the some of the southeastern vampyr territories. While Cain was busy helping to sort out the hostilities, direction of their own territory, fell to him as Cain's mate and the second-in-command. Even though Shido was up to the task, it was hard and lonely work.

He had often spent his nights alone in more ways than one, and during the mornings his body shivered from more then unnatural cold as he slept alone in his own rooms until the next rising when the cycle would start all over again. He had truly missed his mate's presence, the feel of the safety and security of his strong arms around him, and especially his harsh, yet loving touch…oh, he was going to **definitely** enjoy this moment for all it was worth.

The lord felt a jolt go through him at the feel of his childe's tongue upon him and almost forgot the whole thing. However, as he reached out into Shido's mind, the frustration and sadness that lay carefully hidden there, yet plain to his experienced mind, reawaked his ire and fury. Anyone who dared upset his beloved, would die before the night's end. Shido deserved the utmost care and respect, and Cain would not tolerate anything less.

However, looking into those ethereal emerald eyes, he also realized that his childe had his pride, and he would never gain true esteem and loyalty unless he earned it himself. For his angel's sake, he would try to compromise. "I will let you do as you please, _carusevo_. However, if anyone disrespects you in any way, within my area of notice, I will make sure that their punishment is extensive and torturous, so that they will beg for the final death by your hand before I am done with them."

Shido smiled wryly. Well that was the most that could be hoped for. Much was said about Cain, some of it true and some of it not. But let it never be said, that the High Lord of the Northwest didn't look after that which was his.

"Thank you, Ca—_milýani_."

Cain let his smirk widen at the sound of the traditional name, his fangs gleaming in the darkness. He reached up and ran a finger against the gentle skin of his mate's cheek, lightly caressing it. "However, I still sense sadness within you, and that just won't do."

"And just what do you plan to do about it?" he answered back coyly.

"Oh, I can think of a few things." Letting his finger stop underneath his mate's chin, Cain lifted the boy's head, and let himself feast on the vision of perfection that stood before him. "And I think I'll start with _this_…"

Shido trembled as he felt Cain's fingertips faintly ghost over his lips. Despite how long they had been together, he didn't think he would ever stop craving this golden god's touch. Maybe he was addicted, and maybe he didn't really quite care. However, he inwardly smirked; this time he was going to have a little bit of fun first.

Just as he was about to capture his beloved's luscious lips with his own, Cain felt Shido suddenly become mist, only to reform perched on a nearby oak branch.

Cocking an eyebrow at his childe curiously, Shido answered his unspoken question with a laugh. "A kiss from my lips is not so easily taken, Lord Cain. I don't give myself to just anyone."

Flipping his cloak over one shoulder and putting a hand to his hip, he chuckled evenly in response, "I should hope not, _Lord_Shido. I would hate to spend the rest of this night making the sky rain red and the ground stain scarlet. Now get back down here, and let's go home, _carusevo_. "

The younger vampire stood lithely on the tree branch, one hand leaning carelessly against the trunk. "Haven't I told you once already tonight? Stop telling me what to do. I do what I wish."

With that he flew off into the trees, letting the wind sweep against his body and he leaped from branch to branch, his feet hardly touching the surface. He did not hear or see, so much as feel his mate's pursuit. Looking from the corner of his eye, he glanced over at the blond racing next to him, easily keeping pace. Instead of speaking verbally (which was nearly impossible at that speed) he felt Cain's voice within his head using the bond the two shared.

'_You are trying my patience, little one. This chase only makes me desire you more…if that could be possible…'_

'_Well, at least I am teaching you something. And what makes you think I care to share your bed tonight, especially as you have treated me thus? I think I will stay at the southern villa for a couple of risings.'_

'_That'll be fine, but I will have to call back Raphael to take over for a few days while we're there.'_

'_I meant __by myself__, you cretin. Or maybe I'll take Gwen and Naphtali with me; they'll probably prove better company than you.'_

'_I tolerate Gwyn, but you are not to be alone with Naphtali, you know that.'_

'_There you go with giving orders again. I might invite Naphtali to my bed just to spite you.'_

'_Not unless you want my 3__rd__ Lieutenant to lose his mate. Naphtali is a master by nature as well as rank, I want no master near you when you are alone.'_

'_Who I associate with is none of your concern.'_

'_You are my mate. Everything about you is my concern, _carusevo_.' _

Shido laughed in response as he twisted around the trees before vaulting up into the treetops and landing atop a sweeping willow. The soles of his boots barely touching the wood's peak as he looked over the layout of the forest, the summer's night air sweet and fresh on his senses.

"Are you finished with this little jaunt, Shido? While it was quite refreshing, I tire of this."

Shido didn't even look over his shoulder at the other vampire floating in the air behind him. His voice was quite as he looked into the starlit sky, "Well, _I_ enjoy it Cain, this time is precious to me. You might not know it, but I often go out to the turrets and balconies of our home and simply stand there alone, letting earth surround and embrace me. I wanted to share this experience with you…now that you have the time."

Cain felt the kiss of pain and heartache bloom within his chest, followed by renewed anger and determination. He didn't tolerate anyone who made his darling Shido unhappy—even if that someone was himself.

He walked across the treetops and tenderly brushed his hand against the soft skin of the other's ivory neck; tracing the sensuous curve with his gloved fingers. "You have been quite patient with me, _carusevo_. I understand your ire, and I know I have neglected you. Hopefully with the hostilities dying down, I won't be needed as much."

Shido still kept his eyes to the moon, "Lord Devon's 2nd Lieutenant came to see me tonight."

"Why did he come to see you?" Cain asked suspiciously. Devon was a friend of his and one of main sides in the skirmishes in the south. He would have thought nothing of 2nd Lt. Mikhail had come to see _him_to discuss business. However, what reason would there be to bother Shido?

"He pleaded with me to help represent their side in the mediations that will occur soon, along with Devon's mate, Julian. I told him that I would do agree to do all I could to help."

Shido felt the hand that was on his shoulder increase in its grip. It was not enough to truly hurt him, but there would be slight bruising. "How dare he ask that of you…you will most definitely not be going. I don't want you in a war zone."

Wrenching away from his mate's touch, the younger leaped into the air and went to another treetop further away, before turning and glaring at Cain with angry, hurt eyes. "Well, then isn't it a good thing that I don't have to do what _you_ want?! I thought you would be happy about this Cain, but I guess I expected too much. You mean its okay for you to go on all these diplomatic missions, but I'm not allowed that pleasure? I have to stay and tend the home?!"

"You knew what becoming my mate would mean, Shido!" Cain snapped irately. _Why was his mate getting so upset? He was only trying to keep him safe!_

He gestured to the entire expansive forest as well as the land beyond. "You have a duty to all who live under our leadership to take over for me when I cannot. That is what you agreed to when you became my mate!"

"I know my duty Cain! What do you think I've been doing all this time, while you've been gone all these months?! But I am good for more than that Cain! Julian needs all the help he can get, and all the other lords, including yourself, are either too powerful to be affective or just too disinterested, in something like peace talks. Besides by the time I will be needed, you will be able to take back over here. I am needed there, and I know I can aid him in this, and I **will**, Cain."

"Shido…" the blond had been blown away by the ferocity of precious angel's defense. He was so stunned that he almost missed the crimson tears that were welling in male's eyes….almost.

Shido himself, felt all of his tormenting emotions that he had gained during this rough time of war, begin to collapse upon his heart. The loneliness, the anger, the frustration, the feeling of emptiness and uselessness…he could not hold the resulting sorrow back much longer; Cain's rejection had been the final straw. "I'm sorry you do not agree with my decision, but this is something that I need to do. I need to know that I can do more than just look pretty, keep house and attend meetings; to prove to myself that I have what it takes to be the rightful mate of a High Lord."

"Shido—"

However, the lavender vampire had already turned away from his sire, and looked out into the sky as scarlet began to trickle down his face is silent rivulets. His tone was tired and distressed, with a slight tinge of disappointment. "I am doing this whether you like it or not, Cain. I am not your slave and I will do as I see fit. I do not belong to you…"

With that final note, Shido fell down gracefully from the trees, closing his eyes as he landed perfectly on his feet on the forest floor. His mind reflected a final passing thought as he began running deeper into the forest:

_And here I thought he would be proud of me. What a fool I am…_

Suddenly an incredibly strong force pushed him to the ground, causing him to land on his back in a bed of freshly fallen maple leaves!

After the initial shock had worn off, Shido opened his eyes prepared to fight off his attacker, only to pause, as the eyes that stared back glowed an intense aurelian.

"Cain…?"

Shido quickly found that he couldn't get up, his arms and torso pinned by his mate's heavier weight. His eyes narrowed in frustration as more tears ran down his cheek. "Get off me, Cain. I don't want to face you right now."

But the silent look on the other's face didn't change. A tender hand stroked his hair gently, before even softer lips kissed his cheek, light flicks of the tongue erasing the tears of blood.

At first he was stunned by the show of affection, but then new tears replaced the old and he struggled harshly to release himself from the other's grip, his head moving violently from side to side to avoid Cain's attentions. "Let me go, Cain. If you think you can seduce me into submission—"

"I'm sorry…"

Shido's emerald eye's shot up in shock. Silence seemed to permeate the wood as he lay on the ground, with Cain hunched down over him, his golden locks hiding the expression on his face. Did he just hear what he thought he'd heard? Did his sire, just—_**apologize**_?

"Cain? W-What are you asking forgiveness for?"

Suddenly he was gathered in the other's unyielding arms, and held close against the solid planes of his chest. The feel of Cain's fingers running through his hair felt incredibly and ridiculously wonderful, and the sensation of his holding him, assured him that nothing could ever hurt him as long as mate was there.

"I can't stand to lose you, Shido. I know I can be overbearing and insensitive, that is my nature, and for that I do not apologize. However, I **am** sorry that I have not noticed your needs as I should have. As your _milýani_, I have a responsibility to insure your happiness and protection. You have been forlorn, mistreated, and I have denied you your desires. I am truly sorry for how I have wronged you."

Shido pushed himself away from Cain, enough to be able to look into the other's eyes. "Then you do not mind me going as mediator?"

Cain smiled widely before capturing his mate's luscious lips with his own, ravaging them with ruthless intent until Shido relinquished to him and allowed him to taste of the delicious flavor that only he alone could create.

Shido had been taken by surprise by the kiss, and was surprise by the very ferocity of it. Cain had always been a savage lover, and he had gotten used to the fact that the male could be very dominating and authoritarian. However, the man's kisses were always to die for; the simple touch of his skin against his own caused him to feel sparks fly throughout his body. The smallest skimming of his lips against his own caused his eyes to see fireworks…you can give a pretty good guess as to what he was seeing now…

When Cain finally released him—all too soon—he tried his best to breathe normally, but couldn't quite manage it since there was hardly any breath left in his body. He looked up into the endless magnetic pools that were Cain's eyes, gasping with barely leashed anticipation. "Are you…t-trying…to…seduce me again?"

"Is it working?" the blond asked, taking in the beauty of his lovely fallen angel resting within his arms, breathless, his lips full and swollen with desire.

Shido smiled seductively, "Maybe… but you are not going to talk me out of this. Now, if you want even a hope at taking that kiss any further, will you at least try to believe in me?"

"I _do_believe in you, little one. I always have, even if I may not show it sometimes." Taking a hold of Shido's chin, he angled it upwards, pulling him a little closer so that his could see the truth for himself. "I love you, and I am proud of all that you are and of what you have become. It is only before you that I can let myself become so vulnerable. Only to you, to whom I would offer an apology on my own behalf. I love you, my dearest Shido, and despite what anyone may say, I chose you as my mate because I will have no other but you. Even before you came of age, before you were reborn, from the time I first met you, I knew that you were my other half, the one I would pledge my life and love for all eternity for. "

He planted a soft kiss on Shido's surprised lips, before moving to his jaw and down to his neck, placing little playful nips here and there, that cause his mate to mew and whimper with yearning.

He whispered low against the throbbing vein that lay under that delicious milky white skin. The mark of his ownership that usually rested there, having disappeared during their time apart. Well, he would have to do something about that…

"You were quite wrong, when you declared that you do not belong to me. I own you heart and soul. You are mine, now and forever, as I am yours…"

Shido tried to keep his wits about him, but it was getting harder and harder to keep from being distracted. "I have missed your declarations of love, as I have missed your company, my _milýani_….However, I am still going."

Cain chuckled as he ran a hand along the other's chest, flicking off the top button of his shirt with a single claw before running his finger along the flesh that lied beneath. "That's one thing that I find trying, yet quite interesting about you, Shido. You are so determined. It is hard to divert your attention once you've set your mind to something."

The emerald eyed nightwalker let out a moan as Cain's fingers traveled beneath his shirt, finding his nipple and giving a lavish squeeze. "I find _many_ trying things about you, such as your annoying need to be overprotective."

"It is in my nature to be protective, _carusevo_. However, I guess you may go if you really wish. However, you must be sure to take Talion and two others with you."

Shido inwardly sighed for what felt like the umpteenth time that night. Talion, the commander of Cain's personal guard, as well as his designated bodyguard when needed, was a good and loyal soldier. Talion was a common vampire, but he did not have any of the condescension or resentment for Shido that many others in the territory did. If he had to have anyone as his escort, he trusted the redhead to do his job.

"I guess we can compromise on that front, lover."

Cain smirked, "Now that we have that settled, do you have any other complaints or opinions you wish to express this night?"

Shido laughed softly, "I will pretend I do not hear the sarcasm in your voice. I however, have one more complaint to report to you."

The blond lifted his eyebrows, "Which is?"

"There is something to which I have a right to, and yet have been denied."

The male gazed at him in surprise and confusion, "All I have is yours, everything I own and everything I am. What has been denied you, _carusevo_?

"The company of my _milýani_ for the last month—I expect to be paid back in full." His sea-green eyes gleamed with want.

Cain smiled knowingly, while tracing the outline of his mate's face. "Don't you concern yourself, my love. I always pay back my debts."

With one swift movement, Shido felt himself being lifted up and tossed over his mate's shoulder! Aware that they were moving, he tried to lift his head up to see where they were going, he hit Cain playfully in the shoulder. "Put me down, you oaf! I can walk on my own."

"So you can run away again? I don't think so."

Shido smiled as he hit the male's back again while trying to push his long hair from out of his face. "That wasn't running away, that a friendly game of chase. If I had really run away, you'd know it."

"Anywhere you go _carusevo_, I will follow. And no matter where you would go, you would always be mine. Never forget that."

Before Shido could respond, he felt himself being flung off Cain's shoulder and landing in an enormous, luxuriant bed covered in silks and satins and pillows of every size. He wasn't surprised to find himself in his master's personal chambers, and smirked as Cain looked down at him from his standing position. He could feel his mate's heated desire and easily reflected it back, before reaching up with one hand and pulling the blond down beside him. Crushing his mouth against that of the blond, he kissed him lavishly before pulling away slightly in order to whisper quietly against the other's lips.

"As long as you keep treating me like this, you won't be having any problems with me running away."

Cain growled as Shido felt his way down his chest, tracing every plane and angle with his lithe fingers. Striking out like a coiled cobra, he drove his fangs deep within the flesh of his beloved's neck and into his pulsing carotid artery!

Shido gasped in ecstasy as the mixture of stinging pain and extravagant bliss ran through him to his very core. However, through the entire tumble of emotions, he could still hear Cain's voice within his mind; speak softly within his consciousness with hard conviction.

'_Then you will never leave me my Shido, for I shall never let you go. You will be in my possession and protection for all time, beloved.'_

Shido beamed with the most happiness he had felt in what felt like forever, _'For once, I agree with you, lover.'_

* * *

The lavender-haired vampire smiled wryly as he recalled the memories. He had kept to his promise. He had been quite happy with Cain and had never thought of running away, until everything went south. Cain's treatment of him had changed, and as he had warned his mate all those nights ago, it was when the treatment became too hard to bare that he had run away, disappearing into the night without a trace.

"Shido-san?"

The male looked over to find Riho approaching him followed by Azrael, the two obviously finished with their games for now. The corner of his mouth lifted as he asked, "You two ready to start moving?"

Azrael stopped gestured to the auburn-haired female, "Riho needs food Shido. I propose we hunt before we continue on our journey."

Shido looked over at his childe, who grinned back at him bashfully in agreement. He then sighed before brushing his pants off, "Very well, but you shall have the pleasure of teaching her how to hunt, lieutenant."


	5. Fairy Tales

**Chapter 5—Fairy Tales**

It turned out that hunting for prey was one thing that Shido had taught his young daughter. In all their days of detective work, the principles of catching one's prey was a definite plus. She had never used her abilities on humans before, but it wasn't that much different from hunting the nightbreed.

Riho walked through the forest alone, her feet silently trailing across the ground. It had taken her forever to convince her two dear escorts that she could go off on her own and that it would be better and faster if she hunted alone. Shido had told her to just make sure that she stayed within calling distance and to signal if she ever ran into trouble. Azrael however wasn't too keen on letting a young "vampirlette maiden" go unescorted around the unknown lands.

She rolled her eyes at the thought of how Shido had to practically drag him away, giving her a quick wink of reassurance as the two left. Riho pushed a few tree branches aside and her ears pricked as the sound of male laughter reached her keen ears.

Going closer to the sound, she began to use the voices to draw her, the like heat signatures draw a snake. She thought to call the humans to her, but she was not as skilled in manipulation as Shido-san or Azrael-chan. She might not be able to hold them that long, which would defeat the purpose. Besides, the business of hunting humans was queasy enough to her mind that she wanted to get it done as fast a possible.

She knew that she had to take human blood to live, and in this warring time, she would not get it voluntarily and she would more then likely have to kill her host to prevent her host from killing her. However, that knowledge didn't make it any easier. She thought killing was wrong no matter the reason. Shido-san had explained to her time and again that it was all about self-preservation, and that sometimes in desperate times, desperate measures had to be taken, that she would understand when she was more experienced. She really hoped so, because at this point, she was feeling really lost.

Sighing, she continued on in silence, thinking on how it felt so different to have another vampire within her midst. When she had lived in Tokyo with Shido-san, there were only two other vampires that she had met, neither of them very nice.

Learning about this whole new world that she was now a part of, was quite a shocking and surprising, and even frightening experience. The vampire world was antique, but highly structured, and the creatures that she once feared as slaughters and butchers, she would soon find herself living among.

She had seen firsthand, that even her dear master (she still had to get used to that term…) could be quite ruthless and dangerous when pushed. It seemed all vampires were expected to be cold and ruthless when the situation warranted, but could she hold such an expectation of herself? Would she be able to go on in this new atmosphere and survive?

A sudden scream pierced through her thoughts and she quickly rushed forward toward the alarming sound, knowing that it was a scream of distress rather then pleasure or playfulness. She thought about calling out for Shido-san and Azrael but there was no time for that, someone could be seriously hurt!

She slowed down her soundless steps as she smelled human scents. It had taken her awhile to get used to her hypersensitive nose when she had first been turn into a vampire, but she was now used to it. She could now smell the difference between a human and a nightwalker, she even could tell slight changes in individual scent such as the fact that Shido-san had a slightly more mature smell to him then Azrael did. She didn't know if it was because he was older or if it was just because they were different people, but everything about her new powers fascinated her.

The human scents were soon accompanied by louder voices as she began to get close to the scream's point of origin. Using her excellent agility, she leaped up into the branches of a tree and looked down into a clearing and a horrible scene that took her breath away.

Four human teenage boys were laughing with evil glee as they stood surrounding a petite young woman who sat sprawled on the ground, one hand up in defense against her attackers and the other, wrapped protectively around her enormous, protruding abdomen. She was very beautiful, and very pregnant. She seemed to be looking up in terror at the jeering humans.

One of them leered at her repulsively, "She's a cutie, are you sure she's not a human?"

Another of the boys answered, pointing at her face. "Of course, look at those ears! She is so not human."

"Please! Let me go, I have done nothing wrong!" She cried out, her large crimson eyes pleading with them for mercy.

The boys simply laughed at her and one kicked her hard in her back, sending her rolling across the ground. "You _exist_, monster. That's enough!"

Another teen picked her up from the ground by her long light blue hair, pulling her up painfully to her knees. "Your kind plagues our cities and hunts our people for pleasure. Do you think we would just let you pass through our territory without bringing a thing like you to justice?"

The woman winced and protected her pregnant belly with both arms as she looked up at her tormenter. "I mean you no harm. Please let me go…"

"Ha! Look at her plead for her life! Let's turn her over to the neo-centurions, they're sure to give us a good price for her."

Suddenly the girl pulled hard away from the man holding her captive, screaming desperately, "NO! No please! I'm begging you! Do not take me to the camps. They will take my baby. We won't survive! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!!!"

As the human teens continued to laugh at her heartrending pleas, Riho looked on with horror as the young soon-to-be mother's anguish. She could clearly see, just as the humans could, that the woman wasn't human; she could tell that by simply looking at the woman's sharply pointed ears. Yet, the woman didn't smell like a nightwalker either, it was a more fresh and nature based scent than the darker, moonlit smell of the vampires. It was a smell that reminded her of Guni…

_She must be a fae._

Riho had never met another fairy other than Guni, but had guessed they must have kept as much to themselves as the vampires kept to their own communities. Shido-san, Guni and herself, and even Yayoi-chan had been all been loners, whether it was by necessity or choice. They had all decided to come together and make their own little family; a group of loners that worked together for their own reasons and had come to grow ties of friendship and alliance. It unfortunately, was an alliance that would cost the lives of two of those family members and changed the strength of those domestic ties forever.

Riho still felt the pain of Yayoi and Guni's deaths deep within her heart and had to stop herself from crying now. She could even know hear the noise of the mob as they shouted that one of those "monsters" was hiding in the office building and that they wouldn't rest till it's stolen blood ran freely through the streets.

Yayoi had hurriedly pushed them into a concealed closet, where Shido had hidden them further under the floor boards, where they had stayed, even as they heard the sounds of destruction, violence, screaming and even gunshots above them. The two of them could only hope that the crazed humans wouldn't burn the building down in their anger.

It had been hours later when Shido-san had finally felt it safe enough for them to leave their hiding place. However, once they had made their way back into the office, it was only to find the place in total devastation, not a shred of anything of the familiar had been left intact. There had been no sign of their compatriots and they had both been worried for their safety. Shido felt that it was better that he be the one to search out their whereabouts and so hid her back in the hidden closet while he went out into the night.

She had not know what happened out there or what he had seen, but her master had come back the next hour, filled with pain and rage, his fangs fully extended and his eyes purely predatory.

For the first time, Riho saw the truth behind the façade that Shido had built around himself. She saw the vampire within the human's clothing. It was then that she knew that both of her best friends had died that night. Her heart had cried out in grief for them constantly as she and Shido fled Tokyo and began making their way to the safe haven of the New Empire.

With time, the hurt had dulled slightly, but Riho would never forget that Yayoi and Guni had given their lives so that they could live. It was only right for her to extend that gift to others who, like her, only wished to find safety and a peace that had once been so crucial to her existence. The young fae female below her was trying to do the same for herself and her unborn child—and she would be damned if she let those monstrous humans take that away.

One of the teenagers suddenly walked up and struck the fairy in the face, sending her to the ground once again. He spit on her in disgust. "Fiendish whore…you probably seduced the father of that little bastard inside you, right before you cut his throat and ate his flesh. Didn't you, witch?"

"Maybe would should destroy the little abomination too, before the little demoness eats it after it's born?" Another cruelly suggested, a switchblade emerging from his pocket.

Riho looked on in horror, how could humans be so cold? She knew of the undo prejudice towards non-humans, but this girl was heavy with child! Did they have no mercy?!

"I say we take her now. We could take turns on her!" One said with a snigger.

Another teen agreed with the first, "A freak like you is a danger to everyone. For all the trouble you've caused, you at least owe us the pleasure of your body."

The others laughed maniacally and came closer, cornering the pregnant woman against a large oak tree. Her doe-like eyes shifted from one person to the other, tears running down her face, as her hands pressing tightly in order to protect her unborn treasure. It could clearly be seen by anyone, that if nothing was done—in one way or another, her child would either die, or face a fate even worse so…

Riho's eyes flickered between the fae female and the evil creatures that surrounded her. Not only the thoughts of what would soon happen to the woman at the very minute played out in her head, but also her future brought hot tears of frustration and anger to her eyes. She thought of the woman in the concentration camps she had heard talk of, and knew that she would be subject to gruesome torture before dying in some lonely, atrocious way. And in any case, the infant would not survive _this night_ if these humans had anything to do with it.

She shook her head violently, the tears cascading as she could open her eyes and all this would go away! But the fairy's screams wouldn't let her forget…the horrible sound of rending clothes would not let her forget…the cruel laughter of pure evil, would just not let her forget!

Snapping her eyes open, she looked at the violence below, and as she thought of the injustice, and the heartlessness of what was occurring just within her reach, a rage she had never known the kind of, filled her heart to the upmost…

Her breathing became ragged with fury as her fangs lengthened to their limit. Her petite fingernails became ragged, keen claws, hungry for human flesh to tear, and her eyes that were once wide and innocent, as blue as the sea, were now narrow and deadly, the color of burnished gold. Even her keen ears became more pointed, hungry for the sound of blood curdled screams and dying gasps.

Even as her wrath began to consume her, she put her fingers to her lips and let out the two high-pitched whistles to her comrades. The sound was only heard by the fairy down below, who looked up at her with surprise. However, at this point, Riho could care less, even the sound of Azrael and Shido's answering calls couldn't shake her blood thirst.

Slipping silently down to the ground, she leaded against the base of the tree, crossing her arms before speaking out to her prey. Her voice was as icy as the lowest of low levels of the Atlantic.

"Woe be unto the human race, if they must now terrorize a young woman with child, for mere sport…"

The humans all did a quick about face, looking unto the face of a petite young girl in a pair of ragged and torn jeans, as well as a stained and bloodied t-shirt. Her long brown tresses framed her face attractively, the light of the moon making the blue rose in her hair look aglow. Yet her beauty was nothing in comparison to the deadly glint her luminescent golden eyes and the smile the played upon her face, the razor-sharp fangs protruding from her mouth giving up both her purpose and her origin.

However, even then, one of the boys stupidly asked, "Who the heck are you?"

Riho examined her claws in feigned interest, the finely honed points flashing lethally, "Oh I'm just a young walker of the night, and I'm here to walk you and all your buddies…" Her golden eyes snapped up in amused rage.

"…straight to Hell."

Before any of them could even make another move, the vampiress Riho, was upon them in all her fury!

* * *

Shido and Azrael ran through the forest on their way to Riho's aid, and yet through his worry for the delightful girl child, Azrael was surprised at the speed and agility of his companion. For a common vampire, Shido's abilities were quite advanced and almost on par with his own.

There were many things he wondered about his secretive companion. Shido was older then he by at least a couple of centuries, and though he was of common rank, he had opted to live outside of the vampyr homeland. He was mated. Azrael could tell by the distinctive scent that he gave off, that was a characteristic of a vampire who had entered that epitome of relationships. Since it couldn't be the fledgling Riho, who could the man's mate be? Where had the nightwalker gone? Had his mate died, leaving Shido completely alone in this world? The lieutenant hoped not. The lavender-haired vampire was a good friend, and did not deserve such a fate. He then frowned at another thought. _But then what sort of dishonorable vampire would leave their mate to fend for themselves in this hostile territory? _

As the two entered the area in which Riho's scent was the strongest, the sound of screams filled their ears and the scent of blood flooded their nostrils, causing both hungry vampires to lengthen their fangs. They redoubled their efforts, preparing themselves to do battle, however nothing could prepare either of them for what they saw within the tree clearing…

There, among the clearing, broken, battered, dead corpses were scattered here and there. Limbs had been torn here and there, and body parts or eviscerated insides had been thrown everywhere, blood soaking the very dirt. And in the center of this macabre scene, was a young vampiress, her clawed hand around a screaming human's throat, stood in all her crimson glory.

The lieutenant gasped as he realized the identity of the woman before him, as none other than the beautiful Riho! If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed for a minute that the maiden could have been the culprit for such slaughter. Yet, there she stood, regaled within the moonlight, the queen of the night that she was. And despite the gore and blood that covered her—Azrael had never seen anyone look so gorgeous…

* * *

Shido watched the young woman he had seen grow up by his side, who he thought of as his own little sister, thrusting her hand through a human's chest cavity and viciously pulling out the man's bronchial tubes, and he almost blanched in shock and surprise. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that fragile, naive, petite Riho could have been capable of such murderous violence! What could have pushed her to such an act? Had the human tried to attack her? Had she done it out of self-preservation?

Ignoring the hunger that gnawed at his stomach at the very smell of spilled blood, he quickly shifted and scanned the area from a pragmatic point of view, taking in every angle of the situation and putting them in their proper place. There had been at least three humans, not including the one in his childe's clutches. The whole mess would draw any other nightwalkers or nightbreed in the area, and he did not wish to have to fight the breed this—

Shido blinked as movement caught his sharp eyes and he looked back over to an area he had glanced over, only to be surprised to see that hiding behind the base of tree, sat a young fairy woman, huddling in fright. What was she doing here, alone and unprotected? The fae usually never left their females alone for long, and were quite protective of them. Only urban fairies, like Guni, had adopted slightly more modern views, however, this little girl didn't look like she fitted into that category.

It was at that moment that the girl turned and he got a look at the girl's torn blood spattered clothes and expectant stomach, and suddenly pride welled up within his chest at what his childe had done. Riho had protected this young mother, by unknowingly unleashing the savage vampiric side of her that had been inside of her all along. There had been a time when he would have done anything in order to stop her from discovering her inner base self, but now…all he could do was inwardly sigh, and be glad that his daughter's biggest step in his world had been a straightforward one. Unfortunately, Riho had yet to learn how to control herself, and the humans were as dead as dead was going to get for them.

* * *

Azrael was shocked out of staring by Shido, who looked quite collected despite all that was happening in front of him.

"Take care of Riho. I don't feel like fighting nightbreed over the remains tonight. I'm going to go see to the female."

Before he could even ask him what female he was talking about, the male was already across the clearing and bending over a young girl he hadn't even noticed hiding behind a tree! How could he have missed her? He must be really far out it. He was a master—a lieutenant at that!—and he couldn't even see what was right in front of him. Yet, here was a common vampire, who could hold his hunger and calmly analyze a situation and deem what needed to be done, like any born leader?

Who was this Shido Tatsuhiko? The man was defiantly like no common nightwalker he ever knew…

Getting himself back on task, Azrael walked calmly over to Riho's side, avoiding the flying blood and flesh. As he came closer, he called her name softly, not wanting to jolt her out of her bloodrage. He knew that the fledgling had probably never experienced this aspect of her nature before tonight, and he did not want her to fall apart when he awoke her out of it.

It was really her master's job to guide her through these, but as he glanced back over to Shido, who was checking out a surprisingly pregnant fae, he guessed the male had probably triaged, and that there had been other priorities. The fairies were unfortunately a dying race, and many of them were sterile. For a female to be pregnant was a miracle for them, and if it was discovered that the vampires had not done all they could to save the life of a fae child, there would be hell to pay between their two races. Azrael was surprised and glad that the Shido had thought that far ahead, even in such a hectic time.

Well, back to business…

Before he could stop and think too hard on what he was doing, the lieutenant grabbed the young vampiress mid-rip and swung her around, and before she could attack him, raised his other hand and struck her hard across the face! He hissed as he heard her head snap around so brutal, that he knew that if she had been a human, she would have been dead from a broken neck. He sighed as he took her chin and moved her over to face him. She was no longer angry, but shocked as she looked up at him with her huge golden eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile as he began to wipe the blood from her face. Biting at his wrist with his teeth, he held out his blood to her and watched silently as she mechanically bent down to feed from his vein.

Bloodrage was a strange thing. It was the point in which a vampire's wrath took over its body and soul, controlling its entire consciousness. At that point, a nightwalker could rarely recognize friend from foe, his strength and lust for destruction and blood was overwhelming. The vampire could go on adrenaline alone for hours, ignoring his bodily needs until he dropped off from pure exhaustion. He himself had been under bloodrage a few times in his past, and he understood what Riho must be feeling.

There was only one way to pull a person out of bloodrage. First, another must inflict a sudden pain to the afflicted person to snap them out of their rampage. Then, they must feed the person fresh blood from a new source in order to purge the nightwalker's system. And lastly…

Lt. Azrael took his arm away from the childe's mouth and sealed the wound with a sweep of his tongue, before taking the dazed girl into his arms. Leaning forward, he sniffed at her skin slightly, smiling satisfactorily as he deciphered Riho's breathtaking scent beneath all the others that marred her lovely skin. Then, with a distinct pleasure, he sunk his fangs deep into her neck, smirking at the sound of her sharp gasp. Only taking enough for a taste, he quickly closed the wound before letting the fledgling go. He watched as the girl looked at him in confusion, aware but perplexed as to what was going on. Savoring the lingering taste of her extremely sweet blood that tasted distinctly of cinnamon sugar and wild apples, Azrael ran his tongue against his teeth in an effort to get every bit of the delicious goodness. He would have to steer clear of ever taking the fledgling's blood again in the future, because he knew that if he tasted the like of it again, he was going to be quite addicted…that is, if he wasn't already.

* * *

Riho stepped back, and touched her neck in shock. Two seconds ago, she had been talking to the human boys, and the next she was finding herself in the arms of Azrael-chan, his mouth latched to her neck, drawing her blood! Felling the familiar stickiness on her fingertips and the smell of blood rushing her senses, she growled in indignation. _How dare he!_

She was about to stomp over to the handsome lieutenant and give him a piece of her mind concerning feeding from her without permission, when their surroundings suddenly came into focus.

It was then, as she stood within the blood soaked grass, looking over herself and guessing that she looked like she had just stepped out of the latest horror film, that she remembered everything that had happened. It was then that she remembered, that for the first time in her life—she had violently and pitilessly murdered someone…

She began to shake and as she looked down at her scarlet hands, she realized silently that the last chapter of any _shred_ of her humanity had finally been closed. Riho realized with displeased, yet strangely satisfied interest, that the first thing she had thought about when finding herself covered in blood was not, how in the world could she kill another human being, but, how desperately she needed a bath.

Riho turned a dispassionate eye to the mutilated remains of the men she had killed. She was not proud to have killed them…in fact; she was still shaking from that fact. However one thing she was proud of, was that she had protected an endangered girl and an innocent child. She had saved two lives by taking four others…the odds might not sound right, but in her mind those four lives were worth less then half of the two lives that she had saved.

She felt Azrael's arms close around her, and she laid her shivering body into his embrace. She sighed, not looking at him at all. "I'm tired Azrael…I'm cold, hungry, and just tired…"

The young man hugged her close and used his powers to remove the blood from her clothes and body, as well as giving her a feeling of comfort in what he knew must be a strange situation for her. "I know _miezul nopţii floare_."

As he walked her slowly away from the mauled bodies, she smiled at his small favor. "Thank you, and you've called me that name before. What does it mean?"

"It means 'midnight flower'." A voice said from in front of them.

The mood quickly changed as the two embarrassingly separated from each other and looked over to the elder nightwalker who was now walking towards them. In his arms, the young fae girl held Shido's weatherworn jacket around her shoulders, hiding her ruined clothes. She was still in shock, but was trying to get her nerves back into order.

Azrael was the first to push his raging emotions back down into place. "How is the female, Shido?"

Shido ignored the remaining blush on his childe's face as he reported on the girl's health, "She and the child are fine, no permanent damage done. Or at least that's what I've been able to tell from close observation. Are you okay Riho?"

The young vampiress vigorously nodded, "Yes, I'm fine Shido-san. I was—

"We'll talk later, Riho. As long as you're unharmed, I suggest we leave this area." Her master interrupted her swiftly, before making an about face going into the forest, leaving the remnants of her brutality behind.

The Japanese girl bowed her head as her cheeks burned bright red. She ran ahead to catch up with Shido, not even seeing the slight frown cross her other companion's face as he too followed.

The four went in silence for about half a mile before the violet-haired vampire stopped and laid his burden carefully on the ground, letting them all stretch for a minute. Thinking that perhaps her actions had scared the fairy lady and that was why Shido was cross, Riho approached the girl apprehensively.

"Um…hello, my name is Riho. I hope you are okay, a-and that I didn't scare you or-or anything…"

The young woman, who had scarcely said a word since her attack, jumped and automatically placed her hands around her stomach, turned her crimson eyes to the little nightwalker. When she seemed to recognize who had spoken, she again relaxed.

The fairy smiled as she spoke up, "No—no, nothing you could do would scare me, Riho. I have nothing to fear from the nightwalkers. Your people have been friends with our race for quite sometime and I have heard about bloodrage and even though I have never seen it firsthand until now, I am glad that you used it to protect me."

The auburn-haired female frowned slightly, not know what the term "bloodrage" meant, but her frown quickly turned to cheerfulness as the fairy continued her admonition.

The blue-haired fairy turned her eyes to the ground as slight fear flickered through them. "To be honest, those four mortals scared me more than anything that you could do, and I am very glad you were there. I-I don't know what would have happened to my little one if you had not been there. Even though I am still shaky, I will be fine."

She took Riho's hand and pressed it upon her living belly affectionately. "Thank you Riho, from both of us. When I get my powers back after the baby is born, I will be sure to visit you and present you with a gift of my gratitude."

The vampiress smiled widely as a feeling of satisfaction settled over her. She was about to tell the girl that no gift was necessary since she felt it had been her right and duty to defend her, when a spark of warning ran through her head.

She knew without thinking that it was Shido-san speaking to her through their blood bond.

And sure enough, his masculine voice spoke through her head. _'Do not refuse her gift.'_

She inwardly frowned._ 'But Shido-san—'_

'_To refuse a gift of gratitude from a fae is considered taboo. They are not given often, and you'll dishonor her if you do not accept.'_

She blinked in surprise before smiling down at the fairy with kind composure. "Thank you very much. I'd love that—uh—umm—."

The girl smiled before giving out her hand to shake. "My name is Yukina. I'm an ice fairy."

"It is very nice to meet you, Yukina-san." Riho greeted back happily, "Again, my name is Riho Yamazaki and the man that carried you is Shido Tatsuhiko. The other male is 4th Lt. Azrael."

Pushing his azure hair behind his ear, Azrael cleared his throat before speaking, "It is nice to meet you, Miss Yukina. However, I have to ask. What are you doing here in human territory alone? Is your mate waiting for you somewhere, or do you have any male kin that is traveling with you?"

Riho frowned at the display of slight chauvinism and was about to call him out on it when she caught the slight shake of Shido-san's head.

'_The world of the fairies is much different than the example that Guni set. Only urban fairies are quite modern. All others are quite old-fashioned and the only thing the lieutenant is pointing out is that it is very strange to see a female fairy traveling alone without an escort. Especially, a non-urban female that's with child, wandering alone during these dangerous times.' _

The fairy Yukina didn't seem to take offense, and instead sighed with sadness. "You see, my mate was a human. I had lived with him for seven happy years in Novosibirsk, Russia, simply hiding my true nature from those who were too curious. It worked out quite well until the Bloody Constantine Massacre happened. Then it became such a Hell, that I was consumed with fear every single day, especially when I discovered I was pregnant. However, I loved my husband very much, and though he told me to leave and go back to my home, I had already made up in my mind that I would not leave without him. Yet, it was not to be…"

The three nightwalkers sent comfort to the young woman as she spoke, to which she nodded with thanks before continuing.

"About four months ago, we had tried to escape the city, only to run into a gang of human soldiers. Kazuma protected me as well as he could, but he was no match for them. They shot him down in the streets, before branding him as a traitor and letting the dogs finish with his corpse. I cried so hard for him, even as they captured me to give over to the neo-centurions."

Shido laid a hand of reassurance on the woman's shoulder, knowing what hardships that she must have endured. "How did you get away from them?"

He knew that she must have escaped. Because once you found yourself in the hands of the neo-centurions—the name given to the new worldwide task force division in charge of corralling and managing all the "undesirable, murderous, and uncivilized" non-humans, who were basically modern day Nazis in all but name, by placing them in special concentration camps, never to return—it was nigh to impossible to break out of their iron clutches.

"I was able to concentrate my grief into anger and summon up what little of my powers I had left to break away and flee."

Riho looked at her strangely, "You said that before. Why did your powers disappear?"

Azrael quickly answered, "When a fairy female becomes pregnant, her special abilities slowly dissipate until they disappear altogether. They will return once the baby is born."

Yukina nodded in agreement before continuing her story. "I have been traveling for months alone, trying to find my way to the Empire. With this changing world, I don't have a good sense of how to get there, and I've only my instincts to guide me. Eating and sleeping in the wild, I haven't had much trouble until recently. I hope to return to the Crystal Forest, where I will be able to move back in with my twin brother and his best friend, where my baby will be safe to live in peace and happiness at least among half of its people."

The three silently digested her words, reflecting on how much their lives had changed in so little time. In the end, it was a rarely somber Riho who was able to speak first. "I don't know what or where the Crystal Forest is, but I swear to you Yukina, we are going to help you get there."

Azrael smiled at his beautiful midnight flower's valor, before he offered his hand to the ice fairy, all the while explaining. "The Crystal Forest is a territory in the New Empire that is the homeland of the fairies. Ruled by Fae King Ishtar and Fae Queen Sarai, the kingdom of the Crystal Forest lies in the far south of the Empire. And it just so happens that we are not that far away from the imperial borders."

Yukina jumped up and smiled with glee, "You are sure? Oh, I feel as if I have been going in circles for forever."

The lieutenant nodded, "It is but about two more nights travel at top speed. I know that you cannot travel as fast as us, but Shido and I can take turns carrying you."

"Oh no, I would not think of putting you through—"

However, at that exact moment, the fae's stomach made a gurgling noise in hunger. She smiled embarrassingly, "I guess the berries and roots from yesterday, aren't enough for my little one."

Shido looked up at Azrael, "Those must have come from somewhere. I say you and Riho go and scavenge around for some food for all of us. We will rest a little while before continuing on."

His childe turned to him in surprise, "You mean, you're leaving hunting up to _**me**_, by myself?"

He shrugged in response, "Why not? You have more than proved that you can take care of yourself, and if you get in any tight situations, I'm sure the lieutenant can bail you out."

Riho blushed a little in embarrassment, only to smile in demure delight at the subtle praise that Shido had given her. He trusted her to do her job and do it well, and it wasn't bad thing that she could now have some alone time with the handsome Azrael either.

Speaking of which, the man in question grabbed her hand and began to pull her off to the east through a crowd of poplar trees. "Come my midnight flower, or night will leave us before we can return with the spoils."

She giggled and let him guide her away; however, she didn't miss the parting Romani words between the man that was leading her away, and the man who was left behind, watching them go off.

"Ce ai de gând, Tatsuhiko?"

_What are you up to, Tatsuhiko?_

Shido smiled and only when the two disappeared, did he answer the man's query. "Asta este pentru mine sa stiu, si tu de a-şi realiza pe cont propriu."

_That is for me to know, and you to realize on your own._

Yukina sighed before sitting back down upon the ground. She breathed in the delicious taste of freedom and smiled, closing her eyes and letting the moon's light tickle her eyelids. She felt her precious baby move within her, and once again she vowed that would protect her beloved mate's child with all that was within her.

As she sat there in her silence, Yukina looked at the vampire that had stayed to guard her. She knew he was still quite young for a nightwalker, a young man by their standards. His companions were even younger in comparison, a teenager and an infant in the vampire world, yet he treated them with the same respect and equality as someone of his own station. Unknowingly, he moved with a grace and stature that despite his tattered and worn clothes, his true nature still shined through. She smiled…he hadn't changed a bit.

"Your childe is quite charming, even if she is young and naïve. However, I think the two of them look good together. Don't you think so, _Lord_ Shido?"

The violet-haired nightwalker stood still for a minute, letting the night air converse with him before answering calmly. "And _you_ are much older and wiser then your young appearance makes you seem, Yukina-san."

She opened her eyes and he could see his reflection within the crimson depths. "I take it that neither the childe nor the lieutenant knows of your true identity. Know that you can trust me to keep your secret, and that you are not as easy to recognize as you might be contemplating."

Shido felt a slight relief come over him as he sat down by the fae's side. "What gave me away? And how do you know of me?"

"Well, I probably would have recognized you, even if Riho had not said your name. You see, when my brother and I were little, we would play in a thicket near the Forest's border, despite my mother's wishes. The vampyr territories of the southeast and southwest and their allies had been fighting for some time, and we would watch like the rest of our people from afar, hoping you would not take your squabbles into our lands. However, after a time the civil war dissipated and a treaty was reached, its signing took place in a field next to a thicket we had been playing in.

"Both sides had lined up opposite of each other, and the High Lords of the two sides, stood on their perspective platforms. Their mates, the High Lords de facto, were the ones to sign the treaty, and it was quite a grand affair, especially to my young eyes. However, the emissary that had been the official over the signing, and had negotiated the terms between the two sides was the _really_ grand thing."

Shido smiled, knowing where this was going, but let the girl finish her explaining memory anyway.

"Most vampires are physically attractive as it is part of their allure when they hunt. However, this one had been even more stunningly so to me, and it wasn't just his looks but the way he acted and carried himself. He had an air of authority and yet normality, which attracted any who looked upon him. Despite the fact that he was a High Lord de facto, he had worn to the meeting neither armor nor lavish garments, but he wore only a simple shirt, breeches, and boots; the only expensive thing on his body was the gold signet ring on his hand that was a symbol of his station and territory. He hadn't come to impress, but to get a job done, and I must say it was accomplished quite quickly in his humble hands, which seemed to draw both sides to him."

Yukina looked over at the vampire, who had of course, not changed one iota since that long ago day. "You are not an easy person to forget, High Lord Shido. Especially to a young girl who saw you as a hero on that day. I recognized you as that same envoy I had seen all those years ago when you had reached for me behind that tree, and I knew I could trust you with my life."

The ex-detective had to struggle to hold down the blush of embarrassment from coming up at the fairy's lavish words. Of course he remembered the territorial war he had helped settle between the southeast and southwest. However, even though both Lord Alberto and Lord Devon had praised him on his diplomacy, he had never heard anything like what she described. He did not deserve such praise.

"Thank you for your kind words Yukina, but I was simply doing my job then. There was nothing amazing about it. I hadn't set out to become anyone's hero."

Shido almost jumped when he felt her cool hand on his. He looked up at her and saw an astuteness that belied her youthful appearance.

"_That_ is why you are one."

She looked at him with all seriousness, "I know not what you are doing here on this side of the Empire's borders, or why you no longer wear the ring that you had so proudly worn on that day. But I do know this—That you have much more importance than you realize. You have an effect on the lives of everyone around you, even though it is mostly unintentional. And because of that, you have a certain responsibility to those people that you touch, and it varies depending on how much you affect them. Some people you may only have to only send a small encouragement, while others, like Riho, need your guidance and care. It depends on the person. There might even be that person that you've affected so much that you are now their pillar. Without you by their side, they might go totally insane…"

Shido visibly flinched, and he studied Yukina for any trace of treachery. However, there was nothing in her eyes but truth, making him, inwardly sigh at his wariness. She, in response, only lifted an eyebrow at the thought of her message getting through, before continuing.

"All I'm trying to say is that you touch more lives than you think you do, in ways you might not even guess, and to think twice before you think of yourself as unimportant or undeserving again."

After that last word, the fae leaned back against the tree, her eyes closing again as she rested. Giggling gently she said, "And after that session of 'helpful advice for the day', I think I am just going to sit here and recharge my batteries for a little bit."

He let out a light laugh as he watched her settle down. But long after she had dropped off into a light slumber, he was still turning her words over in his head. He had know long ago, that his position as Cain's mate and High Lord de facto over the Northwest Territory would put him in a position where many others would count on him and look up to him. However, once he had left all that behind him and his responsibilities had gotten smaller, he had lost that sense of other always looking up to him for things. But he should have known that he hadn't left his leadership position behind, but had simply miniaturized it.

And now that he was getting nearer and nearer to the Empire's borders, he realized that his responsibilities would once again increase. There, as Yukina had unknowingly reminded him, he would once again be "Lord Shido, High Lord de facto of the Northwest Territory". No matter that he and the High Lord were still at odds with one another, Shido had been—and still was—Cain's mate, and he would still have a responsibility to his race and the people of his realm.

Nevertheless, it wasn't that that had him thinking. Her words in the end that had caused him to recoil had just been so close, to the constant spiel that Cain had whispered in his ear on their constant rendezvous during the past century. Then, he had chocked it up as his mate having a tantrum of not having things go his way. Heaven forbid he suffered through enough of those. But Yukina's words had him thinking…had Cain been actually crying out for him in his own perverse way?

Shido let a fanged grin slip.

Of course it was.

He knew Cain better than he knew himself, and he knew the difference of when the man was making a sensual pass, and when he was calling out in desperation. He knew Cain needed him, just as much as he—

_No!_ Shido shook the smirk off his face and steeled his wildly beating heart_. It's not enough yet. I can't forget the hurt and pain of before, and I **refuse** to return to it._

No, the circumstances might have changed, but his decision hadn't. Fighting for it had just gotten harder, that's all. He might be forced to face his abandoned responsibilities, but he would not concede.

The ball was in Cain's ballpark, where it had always been. And it was up to the High Lord, to make it right…

* * *

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but here it is! Next time, Gwyn returns, along with some new characters that will make the plot even more interesting...**


	6. A Fragile State of Affairs

**Vocabulary**

_**sirsola**_--"I'm sorry"; "Pardon me"

_**destan**_--"It's alright"; "It's okay"

* * *

**Chapter 6—A Fragile State of Affairs**

Master Gwyn Vale of the North looked out over his lands from the balcony of his apartments. He stood silent and statuesque even while hearing the servants pack his belongings behind him.

He didn't know how long he would be gone, but it didn't matter to him. The search team had returned once again empty handed by the end of the allotted week, and it was now his turn to continue the search for the missing High Lord.

Gwyn sighed and leaned on the railing, holding his head up with one hand. "Oh _tovarishch_, why must you get yourself into these situations?"

To those who actually old enough to remember Shido, it was wildly believed that the young lord had become sick, and had to move to another climate for his health.

Most vampires were impervious to human illnesses, and certainly none of the High Lords would have such a failing. However, during a botched poison attempt, it was discovered that Shido was one of the rare few that were the exception to that rule. Because Shido was common-born, it was forgiven that he would contract such a malady. Gwyn smirked as he had remembered Cain's frustrations and worry over Shido's sickness, the lord's over protectiveness had gone into overdrive for six months after, nearly driving Shido crazy. They had all admired the fact that the two mates could stand to be away from each other for so long and had all summed up that Cain's volatile temper could be attributed to the fact that he missed his _carusevo_ so.

However, his smirk disappeared when he remembered that Shido had not left the empire because of his health, though that was the story that was told.

Only those of Cain's inner circle knew the truth—that without a word to anyone, much less his mate, Shido had vanished into the night, beyond the empire's borders, never to be seen since. Of course there was gossip and the other lords had their suspicions, but Cain had sworn his lieutenants and their mates to secrecy. After Shido had disappeared, the High Lord had gone on a rampage, tearing up the countryside in order to find the vampire. Every servant and even his lieutenants knew to stay out of his way.

Cain had disappeared from the territory several times after Shido ran away, following his mate's trail, but after awhile the trips became more infrequent. At that point, even though he had not said a word, Gwyn knew that Cain had found Shido, or at least knew his location. Though why the man had not brought him back home, he couldn't seem to contemplate. However, he knew that the relationship between the Shido and Cain was far from simple.

Even though a century had gone by since he had last seen his _tovarishch_, he remembered their last meeting like it was yesterday. He and Shido were supposed to go to the theater together, and he had arrived early to the castle, knocking earnestly on the door to his friend's chambers. However, once he had entered the darkened rooms, he had known instinctively that there would be not theater that night…

* * *

Before even fully entering the room, Gwyn looked outside and summoned a servant. "Go downstairs and tell my escorts that we shall be staying in this rising."

The young vampire arose from his bowed position before him and nodded his head. "It shall be done, Master Gwyn."

As soon as the boy was off, he went into Shido's suite, closing the door behind him. "_Tovarishch_?"

His friend was lounging languidly on a couch by the wall, a glass of wine in his hand, staring deeply into the raging fireplace before him. His countenance was in disarray, his hair mussed and without its glossy shine, his clothes wrinkled and hanging off his pale body, his green eyes were without their luster, and his dark smudges lined his eyelids. Yet, it was the darkening bruises on his friend's neck and arms that concerned him most. Most vampires were savage lovers, and it wasn't uncommon for one to carry marks of sexual play on their bodies. But these bruises were more than that, and he was concerned.

Careful not to shock Shido out of his reverie, he laid a hand lightly on the man's shoulder and called out a little more firmly. "Shido?"

The young lord turned toward him suddenly with surprise. At first a look of fear crossed his face, but was quickly replaces by a visage of first relief, and then affection. Gwyn didn't know who the nightwalker had been expecting, but he wouldn't pry unless he felt it necessary.

Shido placed his hand over his with a tired smile, "It is good to see you _tovarishch_, even though I have no idea why you're here."

He looked down at him confused, "The theater, remember? The new season starts tonight and we _are_ the place's patrons."

Remembrance sparked in his comrade's eyes and the other shook his head in amusement. "I am so sorry, Gwyn." I totally forgot." Those emerald eyes gazed forlornly back at the fire, a sadness coming over him. "There have been a lot of things on my mind lately."

Gwyn sat down on the couch, facing the other man, taking his hand in his own. "Tell me what is bothering you, Shido? Every time I've come here the last few months, you've become more and more withdrawn. You don't seem to have eaten much and you look like crap."

A wry grin appeared on the vampire's face, "Well, thank you for the compliments, _tovarishch_."

He frowned at the other's display of sarcasm, "I'm serious, Shido. What is wrong? You know you can tell me anything." Looking pointedly at the bruises, "Has someone been hurting you?"

All traces of amusement drained from Shido's face as he went silent, taking a sip from his wine and looking back to the fire.

No sound was made for a minute or two, but Gwyn waited patiently, letting his friend choose his own time. When the time finally came, Shido's voice was so low, that it was hard for even the keenness of his vampiric ears to pick it up.

The lavender-haired male kept his eyes on the flame of the fireplace as he asked, "Gwyn, how do you know that Raph loves you?"

He blinked, surprised by the question, "Well Shido, I don't think he would have chosen me as his mate otherwise."

"There are many reasons that he could have chosen you, some more valiant then others. But how do you _know_ that he loves you?"

Stunned at the seriousness of the question, Gwyn gave the question some consideration. "Well, when I look into his eyes as he looks at me, I can see it there. I know it through his actions, when he places my wants and desires above his own. When he gives me pleasure beyond anything I've ever known, even if I don't give it in return. When my psychometry has exhausted and pained me, and he gathers me into his arms to comfort and protect me from the hurt. Or when he treats me as if I am the most important person in the world and that he is but a servant at my feet. And especially when he protects me as though I was his most precious treasure and he gives me the respect, tenderness, and protection that I deserve. It is in all these things that I know he loves me, beyond a shadow of a doubt." He smiled tenderly, "And I love him, just as much as he does me."

Shido smiled softly in response, "I know what you mean…to be loved."

Gwyn looked at his friend stunned, picking up immediately on Shido's use of the past tense. "_Tovarishch_…is something going on between you and Cain?"

The vampire's continued silence was all the answer he got, and all that he needed. He tried to look in his friend's eyes but they were blank as ever. "Shido? Did…did Cain give you those bruises?"

He kept his voice low, not only because even among the stone walls and oak doors of the castle, words could still be heard by nosy keen nightwalker ears, but also because he didn't even want to believe the very words that were coming from out of his mouth.

However, Shido made no move to answer the damning question, and instead continued to look into the fire.

The two sat there in extended stillness for the next four or five minutes, before Shido finally stood up and walked over and placed his goblet on a table. Gwyn kept his thoughts open as he watched the young lord stare at the gold signet ring on his hand for a long moment, his green eyes dark with hidden thoughts.

Shido touched the gold circle with longing for a single long second, before balling the caressing hand into a tight first. With a swirl of lavender, the vampire left the room for his private bed chamber. Gwyn quickly got up to follow, concern piercing even stronger than before. "What's going on, Shido? You're not yourself!"

However, before he could enter the curtained off room, his _tovarishch_ came back out and enveloped him in a fierce hug. "_Sirsola_…thank you, thank you so much for your support, my friend."

The gratitude was so heartfelt that Gwyn had no other choice but to simply embrace his comrade in return. "_Destan_ Shido, there is nothing you need to thank me for. We are blood bonded, and I am your _tovarishch_. You can tell me anything."

He suddenly felt wetness on his shoulder and realized that Shido was crying?! He was getting really alarmed at this point, and he tried to untangle himself from the other's arms only to be held tighter.

"Promise me, Gwyn…no matter what may happen in the future. You'll always be my _tovarishch_, won't you?"

The master _de facto_'s first instinct upon hearing such a query, was to find a silver dagger, slice his flesh and renew their bond once again, and in later days he would wonder why he hadn't simply gone with his instincts. Instead he simply pulled his friend away roughly and looked into his eyes with gritted teeth. "Always and forever, Shido. You know this to be true—don't dishonor me by questioning it."

Shido smiled at him with a look of contentment before hugging him close again. "Forgive me my friend. Things have been hard for me recently, and nothing seems to be sure anymore. I just needed some reassurance."

Gwyn didn't know what to say. He didn't know the full extent of what his friend was feeling, and he didn't have the ability to read the other man's mind. (Not to mention, even if he did, it would be considered an act of treason…) Yet, he had no chance to ask further questions, as Shido dismissed him, saying that while his company was comforting, he needed to be alone.

As he walked him to the door, the High Lord de facto ran a hand a caressing hand over his cheek as if trying to memorize the feel. His green eyes once again seemed to take on a sorrowful overcast. "Thank you once again for being there, _tovarishch_. Farewell."

At that last word, the male closed the door with a soft thud, but with an air of finality. There had many times in the future, where Gwyn wished he would had knocked on that door again, or even break it down to make his friend tell him everything. But to his everlasting shame—he didn't. He simply shook his head at his mysterious friend and promised himself that he would make much more of an effort to wrestle Shido's secrets away from him on the next rising.

Suffice it to say, there _was_ no next rising.

* * *

Shido was gone by the next night, and Gwyn had never forgiven himself for not finding out the truth about his friend. He had cried for many weeks later at the loss of his bond-friend, Raphael had held him every night in an effort to comfort and console him. He had lost all but the barest minimum of his bond over the years, and even before that, the runaway vampire had not answered any of his pleas. For though he could show insurmountable courage in the battle field, and steel-like composure when facing his subjects and his superiors, he was primarily and very emotional and needy person. The loss of one of his emotional pillars had sent him floundering!

However, he would now have a chance to confront that friend who he had so abandoned in his hour of need, and thus the other had abandoned him. As he looked out into the land, he could barely keep still. It would be nearly a hundred years since he had spoken to Shido, and he was quite nervous.

"You'll have to find him first."

Gwyn smiled as he felt a pair of hands slide over his shoulders in intimate, reassuring strokes.

"Oh, I'll find him. I know it just as much as I know that the moon is going to rise, or that the spring comes after the winter. It's only a matter of time. You should know better then to question my abilities, _milýani_."

Master Raphael, First Lieutenant of the North Lands within the Northwest Region, curled his arms around his mate's waist, pulling the other closer. He nuzzled the male's neck tenderly before giving it a playful nip, "I would never think to suggest such a thing, beloved."

Gwyn let out a soft sigh as he pulled off the protective leather gloves from his hands, and reached up to swirl his bare fingers into his love's pure white locks. He wore the gloves to give him protection from his uncontrollable powers. However, he enjoyed the feel of his mate's emotions and thoughts coming over him through touch.

"You should get back to court, you're distracting me."

Raph's light blue eyes twinkled as he moved his mouth up his mate's neck to the corner of his _carusevo_'s delicious lips. "And let you leave without saying 'good-bye'? Who do you think I am, Wyn?"

Removing the man's hands which had become tangled in his own black hair, Gwyn turned around and looked at the man who had stolen his heart. "I know exactly who you are, Raph…a distraction…"

Slowly, the Scandinavian vampire circled his arms around the other's neck. His lips curled up into a smile, the tips of fangs barely visible. Drawing himself closer, he covered his beloved's lips with his own, kissing him slowly at first before sucking the other's lower lip with passionate abandon.

Raphael, who had been simply aroused by holding his delightful boy, was now hard as a rock as he felt the hunger in the kiss. Being the fierce warrior that he was, he was quickly driven to take control and dominate his mate. Grasping him firmly by the arms, he held Gwyn still so that he could take his fill of the sweet taste of his mouth.

Desire seized him as he felt porcelain hands slipping under his tunic and fluttering lightly over his bare skin. He heaves a heavy moan as a fingertip lightly skims over his nipple. Coming up for air, he immediately began to lead his partner over to a nearby dais and mentally send all the servants out, when a firm knock sounded on the outer door.

Like a turning the water suddenly from hot to cold, Gwyn switched from passionate to aloof and pushed Raphael away, sending him sprawling into the dais himself. Not giving his mate a second thought, the brunette went to the other room, mindlessly picking his gloves off the floor and putting them back on, fixing his hair back into some form of order, and smoothing his rumpled clothes.

"Come in."

Raph could only sit on the cushions and try to catch his breath. He gritted his teeth angrily at the interruption, and at the fact that his mate could so easily switch between emotions. Here it was that the man looked as cool as a cucumber, and he was still as hard as rock, felling quite uncomfortable and unfulfilled! How could a mere common-born vampire have such tenacity and control?

'_It's just a matter of practice, lover. I would not be a very efficient psychometrist if I didn't know how to deal with emotions. The psychic strain would kill me. Now get yourself together so you can greet our visitor.'_

'_That's going to take a while, since you left me here all high and dry. You take care of it, since I'm _indisposed_. And you know that you're going to be punished for doing this to me.'_

Gwyn mentally chuckled, _'Oh, would you stop being such a spoiled child and jerk yourself off before you burst. You did this to yourself, I told you not to distract me.'_

'_You are really going to get it now. I promise you that.'_

Laughing at his threat—which he had no doubt would be fulfilled—the dark haired master _de facto_ faced the male who had come calling. The tall vampire, dressed in a blue tunic, dark jeans, and boots as black as night, had waist length scarlet hair plaited into a single braid. His eyes were a greenish-blue that seemed to observe and assimilate every detail of everything around him. His face was hardened and his look detached, yet severe.

He bowed once at the waist before speaking with deep solid tones. "Master Gwyn."

The male nodded back in return before gesturing for the man to sit down. "Sir Talion, what can I do for you?"

The sea eyes never wavered, "I have received word that our Lord has given you approval to go in search of Lord Shido."

Gwyn nodded as he realized why the captain of the Lord's Guard was there. "Am I correct in assuming, that you are here to ask for consent to accompany me in my mission?"

A small flicker of surprise came to Talion's face, but it soon disappeared. "Yes sir. I wish permission to be one of your escorts during your journey."

Gwyn knew that Talion had blamed himself for Shido's disappearance as he was Shido's personal bodyguard. He had quietly, and almost gratefully, accepted the harsh punishment Cain had dealt him in light of his "negligence". No other non-bloodbonded vampire had been as loyal to Shido as Talion. He would gladly give up his immortal life if it meant that the young Lord would not come to harm. And he would jump at the chance to find and protect his missing charge. The man knew that the psychometrist would have a much better chance of finding the missing lord then the previous attempts, and was hoping to come with him in hopes of redeeming himself. Gwyn would give him the chance, but he had better ideas then just letting the man be an escort.

"I'm sorry, but I just don't think that's a correct form of action."

Talion's eyes hardened even more than before, all green had washed away, leaving only the ice diamond blue to remain. If he had not known the pain from anxiety and risk of humiliation the man felt behind that stony shield, he would have felt a little intimidated in front of the captain.

The male let a small amount of fang show as he asked, "Why not, sir?"

Gwyn felt a small tinge of angry red come up within him and knew it to be Raph. He quickly quelled his resting mate's overshooting emotions. 'Let me take care of this.'

He looked again to Talion. "You see, I'll be leaving later tonight on my mission with four escorts. I need no more."

He held up a hand to prevent the captain from interrupting. "What I _do_ need however…is a scout."

The surprise on the other's face was totally undisguised. "A scout?"

"I know it's not a glamorous job, but I need someone to go before us to scout out the land and prepare the way. I will be traveling slowly in order to use my powers to their greatest effect. I need someone who can check out my first feelings and go out immediately. At the end of each day, the scout will report to me over a mental link. If you accept the job, you'll be alone and if you must leave the empire's borders, you shall be on your own. It will be quite dangerous, but I wouldn't be offering if I didn't think you could handle it. Now, would you agree to do this job, captain?"

Talion could only look at the lithe master de facto with apparent shock for a moment, before his usual façade of impassiveness came back into place. He would have to be a fool to not accept such an opportunity. The 1st Lieutenant's mate was giving him the freedom to search for his missing Lord on his own and in his own way, with very few stipulations. He would be able to regain the honor that he had lost all those years ago…

"I accept the duty, sir. I shall serve you well."

Gwyn nodded in acquiescence, "You start out immediately." He began to remove the leather glove from his hand. "I will first have to bridge a link between us however, so that we may communicate. You will allow this?"

He knew the soldier would agree, but he had to ask. A bond of any form was a breaking down of barriers for both parties. He would be a constant presence in Talion's mind, even if neither of them was conscious of it.

True to form, barely a second had rolled by before Talion nodded his head in conformation. "It is necessary. I will give you no resistance."

Gwyn inclined his head in agreement before taking the man's arm. Letting his fangs slide down into place, he impulsively sprung with deadly swiftness, slicing into the other vampire's bared wrist.

The captain let out a small hiss, his own fangs push down through his gums automatically. However he made no further move to show that he was affected.

Drinking in Talion's blood, Gwyn placed his naked hand on the male's temple and let his powers go to work. As the blood tie gave him the anchor he needed, he ignored the myriad of emotions and histories washing over his mind, and instead reached out with his vampyr powers to connect a single tether line of consciousness from his own mind to that of the other man's.

The entire process only lasted no longer than a minute, but it had the desired affect as he felt the new mind link solidifying. Retracting his fangs, Gwyn used his tongue to close the wounds, before taking his hand away and putting his glove back on. He tested the new link lightly with his psyche. _'Is it holding?'_

Talion responded in kind, _'I can hear you quite clearly.'_

Gwyn stood up, the captain following, signaling the end of the meeting for now. "Head out to the south, for this is where my instinct are telling me to begin the search. Every ten miles, check back so that we can test the mind connection. Are you clear on everything, Captain?"

The soldier vampire nodded, "It shall be as you say." He then bowed at the waist once again in respect, before transforming his body into that of a Red-tailed hawk and flying out of a nearby window.

Watching until the bird of prey had flow out of sight, Gwyn deftly transformed himself into mist, in order to avoid the preying hands of his mate, who had been sneaking up behind him. He laughed merrily at the surprised look on Raphael's face, before retransforming behind him and whispering into his ear. "You'll have to do better than that, _milýani_. I have to go now. I'll see you when I come back."

He kissed his beloved lightly on the side of his neck before turning to leave. He only got a half a step however as Raph took hold of his arm and spun him around, kissing him with much more vigor. Opening his mouth to the other man, he let his tongue duel with Raph's for a second or two, before letting his mate claim his mouth like he wanted, before backing away breathless.

The other's ice blue eyes glittered with want and mischief. "I don't like it when you have someone else's taste in your mouth."

Gwyn grinned happily as he got closer to the platinum blond. His black glove was in perfect contrast as he pushed Raph's loose, straight white locks behind his ear. Finished with the task, he moved his hand lower and began to caress his face lightly as he drew himself in even closer and spoke his words against the male's firm lips.

"I find your jealousy completely unfounded, but still…enjoyable as well."

While most would find the barrier of the gloves disheartening, Raphael liked the cool feel of it as Gwyn touched him. It had made their nights quite gratifying and adventurous. He of course received pleasure from the young one's bare skin, but variety was always in order when dealing with the slightly needy vampire.

Heat filled his body as he felt his mate's warm breath upon his mouth, saying those reassuring words. He had watched in the darkness of the other room while the brunette had fed from the Captain of the Guard's vein, and even though he knew that the action had been completely for business purposes, he had had to strangle his desire to violently break the two apart. Now that they were once again alone and Gwyn was about to embark on his dangerous endeavor, he wanted to maximize his time with his beloved.

He would have joined his mate if he could, but like High Lord Cain, his duty would have to come before his desire. He knew that he had to leave, but did he have to leave now?! He was already hard again just from the kiss! And if he caressed him any—

Raph hissed as he felt a gloved hand cup and stroke his hard length through the constricting jeans. "Ooh…_c-carusevo_…"

Gwyn continued to shape and fondle his mate as he applied light kisses to the man's ivory neck. "Do you like that? Do you want me to take _your_ crimson essence for dessert? Or would you rather that my mouth did something else?" he whispered suggestively, as he squeezed the man's pulsing flesh through the prominent bulge in his jeans.

The lieutenant considered both tempting options, but his impatience won out. _'It would please me greatly if you would stop talking and put that lovely mouth of yours to better use—like around my cock.'_

The dark-haired nightwalker let his grin grow as his fangs came into place. He suddenly stopped his ministrations and leaped away closer to the window, wanting to continue the foreplay. "Why should I? You have proven to be quite the distraction. Perhaps I should leave you as you are…?"

Raphael ground his teeth at the screaming distress of his engorged and suddenly neglected manhood. His fangs were straining against his gums and could be clearly seen even when his mouth was closed. His mind had taken a backseat to his desire and instincts, and the only thing his mind had heard was his mate's denial.

"You think to leave me like this—_**again**_, _carusevo_?"

Gwyn, who was full of his own passion, didn't sense the danger and giggled happily. "Well, since you did so well the first time, I'm guessing you can do so again."

His eyes began to glow golden as his temper began to spark and add to his passion. Primitive thought had taken over, and the only thing that ran through Raph's mind was that his mate was challenging him; he was defying him, leaving him. The pull to subjugate his mate was overwhelming; he would not allow this insubordination.

With blinding speed, he grabbed Gwyn away from the window and pulled him close. Taking a cruel grip on that luscious mass of ebony hair, Raphael pushed the frail vampire to the stone floor. He could only stare in anticipation as the weaker male gazed back at him from his sprawled position, with lust-laden, bemused eyes, the soft dark strands of his hair coming loose from their binding and hanging around his pale shoulders, his clothes mussed and in disarray, showing more skin then originally possible.

His cock leaped in anticipation of burying itself in the tight little core of the common-born vampire. Wanting nothing more than to ravish Gwyn and mark him as his once again, Raphael pounced upon his beloved like a tiger on its prey. Trapping his wrists above his head, he trapped the other beneath his body. Gwyn struggled beneath him, but the movements only caused their arousals to grind against each other through their garments.

"R-Raph…?" Gwyn felt a shiver with confusion and a small sliver of underlying fear. He quickly tried to squelch his apprehension. _This is Raphael. He will never hurt you. He loves you. He knows how much you hate lying on your back on hard bare floor. He knows why. Any second he's going to pick you up and carry you to a nice cushioned surface, where he'll—_

He gasped in alarm as he felt his mate's hand slip within his trousers and grab his manhood. Yet even through the pleasure of the touch, springs of panic began to shoot into his heart and he struggled even more against Raphael. "N-Nooo, Raph…y-you know I can't—"

He couldn't finish his statement as the blond's lips crashed down on his in a bruising kiss. _'Say it. Plead. I want to hear you beg me for it. Say, 'Please Raphael. Please touch me, mark me as yours forever.' Tell me!'_

Gwyn shuddered at Raphael's dark tone of voice. He had submitted to the more dominate vampire many times, had begged him for release time and time again. But never like this, never when he was so helpless. His fear was overtaking his desire and he pushed his lover up, freeing him from the bruising kiss. "You are my _milýani__,_ and will always be, but not this—"

_SMACK!_

Gwyn was stunned into silence as his head cracked into the floor from the force of his mate's blow. His eyes flaring gold with rage, Raph yelled angrily, unthinking of his words and actions. "Do what I tell you, _slut_!"

With the last syllable of that damned word, the world had screeched to a stop like a train Like a glass had shattered in the middle of a room, Gwyn felt something break within him and announce to his whole body the despairing outcome. All arousal flooded from out of his body, and he could only look up at his mate with horror and desolation. Tears of blood gathered at the corners of his eyes, but before they could be spilled, impulse jumped in and the young nightwalker hardened himself, using his foot, he pushed the other vampire from off him, kicking him into a wall.

Raphael's head cracked into the stone, and his eyes began to lose their Aurelian heat. It seemed the blow was exactly what was needed to shake the fury's hold from off of the lieutenant. Weakened in this primal state, the master's eyes fluttered closed as the lieutenant went unconscious.

Gwyn picked himself off the floor and stood before the fallen male, his eyes dull and cold like that of a shark. He was no longer thinking…he couldn't think. If he did, he would simply lose his grip on reality…he would lose his mind.

No, instead, his countenance became even harder, and he had the gaze of frozen coal. He operated mechanically, pushing all emotions to the back of his mind, employing all the training that he had gained over the years. Not speaking a word or making a sound, he mentally refreshed and straightened his clothes, opened the door and walked stiffly from the room, slamming the door behind him. As he stalked down the stone halls, he saw a servant and motioned for him to come to him.

The young boy bowed, "Yes, Master Gwyn?"

His Scandinavian accent was harsh and deep as he spoke. "Have my escorts load my things into the carriage and tell them to meet me in the next southern town of Danvers. If they are late, I will continue without them and they will be punished for not doing their jobs."

The boy quivered at the emotionless voice of his master, and quickly nodded before rushing off to do what he was told.

Gwyn went to the nearest window, and looked out into the dark night for only a few seconds, before transforming in a white and black nighthawk and soaring into the sky. It was only as the wind cut through his feathers, and his small lungs ached from the force of flight, that the first drops of blood began to fall from the hawk's hooded eyes, staining the white feathers scarlet.

* * *

Raph put a hand to his aching head and tried to stand up. _What happened?_

He rubbed his head and looked for his lover in confusion. _Had Gwyn thrown him? Why? What happened?_

Trying to make sense of the hole in his memory for the last twenty minutes, he called out to his beloved. "_Carusevo_?"

However, Gwyn didn't respond; not one sound issued from the surrounding chamber. Raphael walked to his mate's parlor room, only to find that empty as well. Not just of the person in mind, but of the man's luggage as well!

_What happened? Why didn't Wyn at least wake me up before he left?_

He rang a nearby bell and a few seconds later, a servant appeared within the room. The boy bowed, "You called, Master Raphael?"

"Yes, how long ago did the carriage leave?"

"About ten minutes ago, sir."

Raph put a hand to his chin and thought things over, "So, Gwyn is only about three miles or so out…"

The servant looked at him strangely, "Sir, Master Gwyn left over a half an hour ago on his own. He wished for his escorts to meet him in Danvers by the next rising."

"WHAT!" He yelled in fury. "Why were not his escorts ready to go with him? He was to be in the company of bodyguards at all times."

The vampire boy fell to the floor in fear of his master's anger. "M-Master Gwyn left earlier than his s-set time. I thought you knew, master."

Raphael motioned for the boy to leave, before walking to the window and watching as storm clouds tumbled in the sky, thunder and lightning could be heard. "What's up with you Gwyn? You know you weren't supposed to leave without protection. We agreed on this."

Using their bond, he called out to his mate. However, only complete silence answered him.

Surprised and irritated, he reached out again. _'Come on Gwyn, this is no time for games.'_

Silence.

Frowning with annoyance and a hint of worry, Raph focused harder and used his power to try to push through his beloved's mental walls that had slid down between their psychic rapports. _'Gwyn!'_

Suddenly, a series of images bombarded him, ones that seemed to be replayed over and over again. Suddenly his mate's voice yelled out in anguish, before a bolt of energy pushed him from out of Gwyn's mind and the walls slammed down once again, deadbolt locks thrown. _'LEAVE ME ALONE!'_

Raphael fell to one knee as he felt his mate's confusion and despair, and a single tear fell from his eye as his memory came back to him. He remembered his control falling and his mind surrendering to his primal side. He remembered doing unforgivable things to his beloved. He remembered saying the one word that was never allowed to be uttered within hearing range of his consort. Gwyn's past would not allow it…

More tears came one after another as he realized that he had betrayed his _carusevo_'s trust—a trust that had taken decades to gain—in a single fit of unleashed passion. Despite his lover's resolute outer shell, the little one held a wounded soul that was slowly healing with help. Any sort of damage to that progress was dangerous to the male's mind. What he had done _this_ night, equaled the same damage as a car crash…

Thunder roared in the sky and Raph looked out across the countryside in alarm. Gwyn was out there in this storm. He was out there, alone, bewildered, scared, and his mind teetering on the dangerous edge between sanity and mental breakdown.

_No! I will NOT lose him to that monster. I refuse!_

Raphael wiped his face with his sleeve and steeled himself as he purposefully walked out the room, calling for servants to give them orders on what to do during his absence. No one was to bother him for the next rising unless it was High Lord Cain himself. He called his third-in-command, a British-born nightwalker named Victor, and placed him in charge until he returned.

Once everything was done, he shifted into a pure white eagle and soared out into the storm, daring the rains and wind to hold him back from Gwyn.

_I'm coming my love. Please hold on.

* * *

_

Gwyn's mind had automatically locked to all outside voices. It was a defense mechanism that he had developed years earlier during the time in his life that he desperately (yet never could) forget—a different time and place where nightmares ruled.

Gwyn transformed from his bird form and collapsed tiredly in the limb of one of the forest trees. His pale cheeks were stained red as ragged sobs shook his body. He screamed and yelled out into the night, rain soaking him to the bone.

_Do what I tell you, slut!_

He hugged his knees close to him and rocked back and forth, the comforting motion doing nothing to stop the overwhelming sadness and disquiet that filled him. Voices from the past and present whispered within his head, emotions that he had absorbed throughout the years, swirled around him and threatened to smother his soul. Previously sealed away memories were brought back to the surface by a single word. Recollections of cold, dark stone rooms, inescapable chains, heaving breaths, tearing flesh, splashing blood, vicious words, and agonizing pain consumed him. In his memories, hundreds of men spoke out to him, calling him every derogatory word in the book, but one name prevailed even among all of them.

Gwyn felt a fresh gush of tears escape and he bit his hand in an effort to calm his fierce howling. Through his wrenching gasps, he moaned. "I-am-not-a slut. I'm not. I'M NOT!"

The raging storm seemed to mock him by stealing away his words and tossing them to the winds.

* * *

**A/N: Next chapter find out about Gwyn's tragic past, and also Shido and Company finally make it to the Empire's gates. Catch ya next time!**


	7. Future Decisions

**A/N**: Yes, I know it's been a long time, and yes, I know I said Gwyn would be in this chapter, but hey, deal with it! I decided to do Gwyn next chapter as his story is a long one. And I'm sorry, but I don't know exactly when I'm going to finish that one, I can only say that I will finish it eventually and hopefully soon. No, I have not abandoned this story, I'm actually just warming up, but school comes first, so this will take some time. You can message and review me anytime!

**Vocabulary**

**_Eina Atuli _Contract**--an agreement between two vampires where one gives his childe into the other's care, whether it be because of death, necessity, or the childe's personal desire. The childe must be an agreement with this decision. A vampire might force the contract onto another through mortal challenge if the childe's master has been derelict or completely disregarding in their responsibilities toward their childe. The victor takes guardianship of the fledgling, with the childe's permission. If the contract is decided without mortal challenge, both vampires shall have a say in the childe's life, and the fledgling shall have the benefits from both.

* * *

**Chapter 7--Future Decisions  
**

"Riho, I want to talk to you for a moment."

The brown-haired girl looked behind her at the elder vampire. "Yes, Shido-san?"

She, Shido, Azrael, and Yukina had finally reached the outskirts of the Empire right as dawn was to break over the sky. Yukina, exhausted, had fallen asleep as soon as Shido laid her on the ground. Azrael had gone to check around the area while Shido and she stood guard over the unprotected pregnant fairy. For awhile now, as they got closer and closer to the land of the nightwalkers, the more thoughtful her ex-lover seemed.

"Ex-lover"…had he even really been her lover? It didn't take long for either herself or Shido to realize that what had been between them was nothing more than a weird twist of lust and affection, and that that one time they had slept together, had been nothing but a mistake. She had always had a crush of her detective boss, even before she had found out he was a vampire, however—like all crushes—they only last for so long. Shido thought of her more of a little sister then a love interest, and she felt as if he were a strong protecting older brother. It was inevitable that they had went back to the master and apprentice relationships that had worked so much better for the two nightwalkers, and neither of them had any regrets.

In fact, their relationship was old news by the time the young fledgling had gotten a surprise visit from an old acquaintance. A person who, from what she could gather over the years, knew Shido better than she could ever hope to…

* * *

"You are looking well, fledgling; Shido must be feeding you well."

Riho, who had been walking home along a dark street, whirled around at the sound of the familiar, chilling voice.

"Cain-sama!"

The golden nightwalker sat on the edge of the fire escape, seeming the very essence of arrogance, power, and authority. He wore those old-fashioned garments that vampires seemed to prefer, and even though he looked as if he was in his latter twenties, just a look into those eternal aurelian eyes, and one could tell that those haunting orbs had seen countless centuries go by. Those eyes were downright scary in her opinion, the only thing scarier would probably be his smile.

As if knowing her thoughts, the much older male gave her a wolfish grin before speaking once again.

"Tell me, Riho Yamagashi, why are you so surprised to see me? You must have known that I would have to pay you a visit after recent events?"

At this point she was beyond terrified, she couldn't even find the breath to scream. However, it seemed that Shido's old companion would have none of it anyway. He held up his hand in order to stop her before she even got started.

"Please young one, you are one of us now. You might want to try acting like it."

Riho swallowed down her panic as much as she possibly could under the circumstances. "What is it you want from me?"

The blond paragon smiled once again before leaping down and landing on the ground in front of her. She automatically took a step back, unknowing of what the extremely powerful vampire wanted.

"Trust me fledgling. If I really wanted you to suffer the final death, I would have slain you long ago."

His reassurance seemed to fall flat, as not a bit of it was reflected in his tone, and instead, he seemed to be mocking her fear.

Well, if that didn't just annoy her…

Riho forgot her fear for a second and a flash of irritation came about her, "Well it wouldn't be the first time, so forgive me if I'm a little cautious."

However, the vampire aristocrat was not bothered and simply let out a laugh of amusement. "So the girl-child has a backbone after all! In my land you would have been killed where you stood for disrespecting a nightwalker lord, but I do find it a little refreshing. Well, I guess it's to be expected. My Shido's blood runs through your veins, and he is your master. He never thought twice about what he said to me either, I kind of liked that feistiness, as frustrating as it sometimes was."

It had been obvious that Cain and Shido had had some sort of connection. Ever since the last time she had seen the blond vampire, when he had appeared at the agency and the two had had another argument, she could feel the unspoken words and feeling that seemed to go back and forth between the two of them. She had already known that Cain had been Shido's "master", but it wasn't until after the man had wholly _kissed_ Shido in front of them before saying farewell, that she realized that the two had had _more_ than a master/apprentice relationship.

While Shido never revealed anything about his feelings towards Cain or what their history was together, it was clear what the elder thought.

"What do you mean 'my' Shido? Shido-san hates you." Riho questioned, making sure she kept her distance.

That eternal smirk tensed a little before the male responded. "You have much to learn, little vampiress. Our fates, Shido's and mine, were decided many, many years ago. Long before you were born; Shido belonged to me, and I belonged to him. It was a choice both of us made, and neither of us can change."

She was confused by his statement, but Riho noticed that he didn't respond to what she had said about Shido hating him, but she didn't think it wise to bring it up.

However, Cain had already continued on to another subject. "Thus, this brings me to the reason I have sought you out. I wished to warn you, Ms. Yamagashi."

Riho took another step away at the sound of his words, ready to run if need be. Though what good it would do her, she had no idea.

The vampyr lord saw her movement, but said nothing and instead went back to what he was originally saying. "I know all about your rather _intimate_ involvement with Shido. And know that I give you a bit of lenience considering you're his childe, but don't think you can get far on that ticket."

Riho blushed at the obvious meaning of his words, but felt it necessary to defend herself. "You've got it all wrong! Shido-san and I made a mistake. Yes, we've been…together, but it was only once and we apologized to each other the next day! So, whatever you're planning, just know that there is nothing but plutonic feelings between us now. Don't hurt Shido-san because of something that isn't there!"

Cain laughed stridently this time, "You think I would hurt my beloved? Chastise him yes, but to purposefully damage his delicate skin? No my dear, if I had really thought you a threat, it would not have been my Shido who would have felt my hand tearing out his heart. That sensation, little one, would have been saved for you…"

A shiver ran up her back, for she knew that there was no sarcasm present and that what he had told was the absolute truth. His golden eyes looked at her intently for a moment in silence. They were so piercing and bright. She knew that every vampire had those eyes when their emotions went awry, but with Cain-sama it seemed more like a permanent sort of thing.

But the precarious moment ended and Cain walked past her, speaking once again. "Since you are a fledgling, it is only expected of you to be curious. And, it is the duty of your master to teach you all you need to know. So, I shall allow the recent misstep between you and Shido. However, I believe you are a fast learner Ms. Yamagashi, so I think _**one**_ lesson was quite sufficient. Don't you agree?"

Riho knew a threat when she heard it, but she felt that she had to emphasis her explanation of the status quo of the situation. She turned to face him, "Cain-sama, like I told you, Shido-san and I are not…together. It was one time, and we have both agreed that it was a mistake, nothing more."

The blond didn't even look at her as he responded, but instead kept walking into the darkness of the alley. "I know of everything that goes on between the two of you, Ms. Yamagashi. Haven't you ever wondered why your master has never taken a lover? He knows that anyone who dares to touch his body in anything more than a plutonic or arbitrary way, would be condemned to death by my hand. The fact that you have acknowledged your mistake in recent events is the only reason why your head is still attached to your shoulders, and not rolling down some misbegotten city street. "

She shivered as she heard the truth in the man's icy voice. She watched as the male's body began to vanish little by little, as if he was becoming the air itself. Yet even then, his next sentence was quite clear to her sensitive ears. "You can tell your master of this meeting if you wish, it matters not to me. I just hope—for your sake—that it does not have to be repeated…"

With that last warning, Cain disappeared totally from her view, and a frosty wind swirled through the empty alley, freezing her to the bone.

She had never told Shido of the encounter that had gone on between her and the vampire lord; for fear that he would worry. However, she never did forget the warning that she had been given, or the barely leashed power that was behind it.

* * *

Riho sat down next to Shido, trying to clear her mind of distracting thoughts before turning her attention to her mentor and friend.

The violet-haired nightwalker looked at her, seriousness in his emerald eyes. "Riho, next rising we will be entering the Empire's borders. And I hope that I have prepared you enough for what you will face. Things will be very different for you, to say the least."

She looked at him questioningly, "What do you mean, Shido-san?"

"Remember how I told you that there are seven realms, each ruled by a separate lord?"

She nodded, and watched as he sighed and looked off into the moon. "The High Lord of the realm is the ultimate law. You must show him absolute respect, no matter who it might be. You will know a lord simply by his presence. They are extremely powerful, and they can't contain their strength as completely as a normal vampire can because it is so vast. Because of this, their eyes are always as gold as the sun, showing their true nature. A natural vampyr lord could never hide in human society for long. Humans become affected by their essence and haunting gaze that suggests that they're anything but normal."

Riho raised a hand to her mouth to cover a gasp as something clicked in her mind, "Shido-san…is Cain-sama one of the High Lords?"

He smiled wanly, "Your insight serves you well. Yes, Cain is one of the High Lords, and it is because of this that I am warning you. He can no longer be your enemy; no matter what your or my thoughts are of him, in the Empire it does not matter. You will have to kneel before him, just like everyone else."

A look of uncomfortable disgust crossed her face, "Kneel?"

"I regret that I have no time in which to teach you the niceties of vampyr court, but I am hoping that what you need to know will be taught to you in time. However, I shall try to give you some basics. Now, pay close attention and commit what I say to memory."

The vampiress nodded, and Shido continued. "First, because you're a fledgling, you won't have to go to court until your master deems you ready, so you have some time before you will have to face that. Hopefully, by the time you make your debut, you will be fully assimilated, and you will do fine. But, until then, there are some things you need to know about the society.

"It is hierarchical; the higher your rank, the more respect is due you. Also, it is all about connections, so remember that when you are introducing yourself to others. Now, if you meet another fledgling, depending on who their master is, you can pretty much just treat them like classmates. The older ones get a little more respect, just like those who have important masters, but as a whole, you can pretty much be yourself around them. Common vampires you show a little more acknowledgment to. Address them as 'Mr.' or 'Ms.'; and be aware of what position they hold in society.

"When it comes to master vampires, you bow at the waist or curtsy, and then wait until they acknowledge you before speaking. You probably won't even be able to get close to a High Lord, but if you do, you are to immediately kneel before them and keep your eyes to the ground. Unless the lord specifically speaks to you, let your master do all the talking. You can only stand when the lord gives you permission, and even then, only masters are given leave to look him in the eye. And never show disrespect, or you will be killed instantly by one of the lord's lieutenants."

_In my land you would have been killed where you stood for disrespecting a nightwalker lord…_

What Cain had said to her that night, flashed back into her head as Riho memorized what Shido was saying. She had never thought that she would actually have to heed such advice.

Shido continued to speak, "As long as you keep to those rules, you should be fine until you come of age. Cain does not rule the realm in which you will be going, so I think that your meeting him will be a rare occurrence, thankfully."

"Shido-san, why do you keep talking as if you're not coming with me?" An edge of suspicion crept into her voice, and Riho looked closely at her master.

He turned and looked at her solemnly for a moment, before asking her a totally left-field question.

"Do you have feelings for Azrael?"

She raised her eyebrows in astonishment. A fierce blush flowed over her as she thought about what he was asking, and an image of the charming male who had been nothing but a blessing since the night they had rescued him. It would be a bald-faced lie to say that she was not attracted to him. He had caught her eye from the moment that she had first seen him. But could she see him as more than just a charming, chivalrous, drop-dead gorgeous friend? Of course, she could! It was what most girls her age could only dream of! But would he feel the same about her?

"I don't know what he thinks about _me_, Shido-san. I would like…I mean I would want…"

He put a hand on her shoulder before she started to ramble. "He cares about you more than you may think Riho; I've seen it in his eyes. I also think that he would be good for you, where I am not."

Riho shook her head in denial of his words, "Shido-san, you are not going to leave me in there are you? You said that the Empire was the only place that we would be safe. Why would you—"

"I will be going into the Empire, Riho."

"Then what are you saying?"

Shido let out a breath before leaning back against the tree, "There are many things about me that you do not know. The Empire was my home for many years before I met you, and even now those ties from the past reach out to me in order to claim me once again, once I cross through the threshold. I do know that once I step through those gates, I will not be able to be the master that you will need to teach you. Where I am going, you cannot follow Riho. I've know this for some time, but until now I have had no way of doing anything about it. But things have taken an interesting turn, and I think it will turn out for the best."

He turned to her and took her hands in his own. "When Azrael returns, I will ask him to enter a vampyr contract with me, Riho. It is called an _Eina Atuli_ agreement. It allows a master to place his or her childe under the guidance of a guardian, a custodian if you will. This custodian will take the place of the master and become the guide and companion of the childe until he or she reaches maturity and gains independence."

She looked at him closely, "But why would any master give up his childe? Why would you do that to me? Is it something I've done?"

Shido took the girl into his arms, not wanting her to misunderstand. "No! Never think anything like that. It's not you, it's me. And this contract doesn't always have to be a peaceful, mundane one. If a master is mistreating his childe, then another master can enact his right to challenge the master with _Eina Atuli_ being the result if the challenge is won. However, most times it is used for other, quite natural reasons."

Lifting Riho from off his chest, he said quietly, "If the other master has "interests" in the childe, then _Eina Atuli_ is an excellent way to begin the courting process, with the hopes that once the childe has gained their status, they will have a greater chance of agreeing to a proposition of mating."

"'Mating'?!" the vampiress yelped as she felt her cheeks heat up.

"Yes mating, I know I haven't spoken much about this part of vampire society, but you have quite a bit of time before you have to think about it. To make a long story short, if I as your master offer, or Azrael petitions me, I can give him permission to become your new master, if you agree to it of course. He would train you, all the while courting you as well, and if you wish to be his mate once you are no longer a fledgling, then so be it; if not, that is your choice as well."

The thought of being Azrael's mate was a mind-blowing one, and though this did seem like an agreement between masters, it sounded as if the childe had a choice on whether to change masters, or who to mate with when the time came.

"How long do I have before I graduate from being a fledgling?"

He laughed a little at that, "Well we've never called it 'graduating' before, but I guess that pretty accurate. You won't become full-grown and achieve your official status for at least another 50 or 60 years, Riho."

She blanched at that, thinking of all the time that would go by, yet decided that it wasn't that long if you were considered an immortal being.

Shido studied her for a bit, "Riho, if I would enter into this agreement with Azrael, would you accept it?"

She looked at her hands, wondering how her life had turned upside down in such a small amount of time.

"I feel like you're dumping me on him, Shido-san. I don't know what I'm doing, and you'll be the only one I know in the Empire. What am I going to do—?"

"I won't be leaving you completely, Riho. Because this will be a simple contract without challenge, I will still have a say in your life, and you will still have the benefits of being my childe. If you ever need help or advice, I am always here for you. All you have to do is call me." He pointed to his head. "And you've grown more than you realize, you can do things that you probably never even thought you would have been able to do when you were first reborn."

She smiled happily, "That's only because you have helped me, Shido-san."

"Riho, I just want you to be happy, and in this way I can be sure of that. You don't have to tell me you answer now. You can sleep on it and give me an answer next rising. Is that alright?"

Riho looked down at her hands a thought hard. She and Shido had been together for almost six years now, and after she had been reborn, they had become inseparable. However, even though she still resembled to teenager she had been, she could feel the years on her that didn't reflect on her face. She knew that she was not the little naïve female she had been, and she also knew that according to this new maturity that she had acquired, these feelings that she harbored for Azrael were more than just a simple crush. She didn't know that much about him, not as much as she wanted to, but if she lived with him, they could get to know each other a lot more. They would have days and nights together, and have adventures in a new world she had never seen!

The more she thought about it, the more excited and happy she became. Life with Azrael would be exhilarating, and she wouldn't have to give up her relationship with Shido. It would kind of be like leaving the nest for the first time. She would be on her own, but her family would always be nearby. She was scared about being around so many vampires, but Azrael was lieutenant, which would mean that he would have influence, and she trusted him to protect her.

A sudden thought popped in Riho's head. Was the reason that Shido-san wanted her with Azrael, because he knew that the man had the influence and strength to take care of and defend her?! She had never seen Shido as anything less than a hero, and there was nothing that could ever change that. She didn't know what Shido's position had been in the Empire (she didn't think it could be that high since he was only a common vampire), but it didn't matter to her. She looked sidelong at her master and frowned a little in incomprehension. Maybe it was simply a male pride thing…

Riho could feel the sun creeping higher in the sky, and used the new techniques she had learned to move the soil so she could have a resting place to sleep. "Shido-san?"

The male turned to her and looked at her in question. "What is it, Riho?"

"Yes."

Shido blinked his eyes with confusion, "What do you mean, 'yes'?"

"Yes, I'll go with Azrael if he accepts." She responded with a strength that she was beginning to feel more and more.

His look of confusion became a look of affection as he stood and place a hand on her shoulder. "Riho-chan, you don't have to—"

"No, I mean it Shido-san." She looked up at him adamantly, "I'm sure about this, really. I care about both of you, but if you want me to go with him, I don't mind. I'm actually kind of thrilled."

The other vampire smiled as he watched his childe look away, her face flushed once again. He took her in his arms in one solid embrace. "I know this is going to be scary, Riho. And I know that you're trying your best to adapt. Just know that I'll be a single thought away if you need me. And—"

He pulled her from out of his chest so that he could look her straight in the eye. "If Azrael does anything that you feel uncomfortable about; if he tries to force you or pressure you into doing anything you don't feel you're ready for or even want to do. You tell me right away."

Riho looked him with a slight trace of shock and fright at the seriousness of his statement, before she saw him smile warmly once again and ran his knuckle playfully along the side of her face. "I will not have my only childe being disrespected by anyone, you understand?"

She hugged him closer, responding with a smile. "_Hai_, Shido-san!"

Riho was shocked however, when she heard what he said next.

"I wasn't talking to _**you**_, Riho-chan."

With a slight prickle growing along her neck, she let go of her ex-boss and whirled around, only to see Lt. Azrael leaning casually against a tree only about four yards away!

So shocked was she, that not a word could come from her mouth. However, Shido-san had no such problem. In fact he smirked and looked as if he had known full well that Azrael had been there for some time.

"Well, do _you_ understand, Lieutenant?"

The male came forward and folded his arms with the same smirk on his face. "Oh I understand completely, Tatsuhiko. And I accept your offer."

* * *

Azrael had just come back from rechecking the perimeter, when he heard Shido's voice clearly say "_Eina Atuli_". As the words had been in his head at that same moment, he was surprised to hear Riho's master say them. Slowing to a halt, he crept up on the voices and listened in.

He realized that he had missed the beginning of the conversation, but from what it sounded like, he and Shido were on the same wavelength.

He had wanted to offer the older vampire the contract for some time now. Since the fact was, he was quite taken with the man's childe, and he would do whatever he could do to see Riho on a regular basis.

As a master vampire, Azrael was not without his dominant side; the side that wished to take Riho as his own. However, he would not dishonor her by ripping her away from her master by force. Shido treated his daughter like one would treat a cherished little sister and so there was no reason to challenge the man to mortal combat in order to gain guardianship over the female. He had finally decided that when they had gotten back to his territory within the Lord Aeon's land and he had gotten Shido settled in a comfortable house near his manor, he would ask to enter an _Eina Atuli _contract with the male for Riho. However, if the male said no, he would still be able to see Riho frequently, and while not desirable, that was good enough for him.

But it looked like all his agonizing was for naught since Shido was already talking to Riho about her becoming _his_ ward. What a lucky break! And not only had Shido not somehow read his mind, but the lovely Riho had agreed to the proposal! It was more than he could have possibly hoped for.

He had no qualms with agreeing with Shido's terms; his auburn beauty (he could get used to calling Riho "his"...) would be treated like the queen she was. He would teach her all she needed to know to become the marvelous creature she was meant to be, but he made a promise to himself that she would never have to fight again, she would be under his protection for all time. She would of course get to see Shido whenever she wished, but she would live in _his_ home and stay by _his_ side until she came of age. And then if he could even dare to hope, she might decide to become...no! Azrael shook his head in order to clear it. He couldn't let his desire cloud his judgment. The choice would be Riho's alone in the end, that's all there was to that.

He could only guess that the violet-haired nightwalker had thought that his childe would have a better life with the lieutenant because of his access to wealth and connections, and it couldn't be denied that the female would receive a better life in his care than she would if she lived as one of the Empire's refugees, starting from scratch. However, he would give the older common-born his pride, and not deign to ask him such an embarrassing question.

Yet, even as he laid there within his resting place he could feel the sun's pull on him even through the rolling storm clouds that come in from the west, and Lt. Azrael could feel a kind of peace come over him. The next rising everything would change for the best. He would enter into a blood tie with Riho, the two of them and their companions would cross into the Empire and safety, he could finally come home after a good month's work, and a new chapter in his life would begin.

_Not bad for rising's work..._


	8. A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

**A/N**: Hey everyone! Well since I've been away for awhile (sorry!), I'm giving you a pretty long one here. Gwyn's story ended up being too long to do all at once so I'm going to do it in pieces and tell it in parts from different POVs. I hope you guys enjoy!

**Vocabulary**

**_(min) lille_**- Norwegian term meaning "(my) little one"

_**løytnant**- _Norwegian for "lieutenant"

* * *

**Chapter 8-A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing**

The wind buffeted Gwyn as he sat on the tree branch within the storm. He was soaked to the bone, and his clothes were drenched with his scarlet tears, but he took no notice of that. His mind was fractured in a way, like a piece of china that had shattered on the ground. Every piece of his past flooded through his mind like jumbled, broken mosaic pieces, vivid and razor-sharp, cutting at his brain like a two-edged blade. However, no matter how chaotic and horrifying each piece was, they had all been connected at one time, it was all connected to a single night, a night long ago in a small town along Europe's northern shores, where Gwyn Vale's life had changed forever.

* * *

Life in a poor seaside fishing town in Norway was a harsh life for anyone. For a young orphan with no home and no family, born from the union of a Norwegian simple girl and a traveling foreigner, it was pretty much impossible. But Gwyn had done what he could to make it work, living the life of a scruffy pickpocket and simple thief, he survived day by day keeping to himself and constantly on the move. No one would employ an orphaned bastard whom it was rumored had been cursed by the gods, so he lived and endured out on the streets. He trusted no one and had no friends, but Gwyn couldn't help the fact that he was antisocial. You see, the rumors weren't quite a work a fiction as most would guess.

Being born with the psychic ability of psychometry, immediately separated Gwyn from the rest of humanity, and the young man had learned pretty quickly not to let a single sliver of his skin touch another person or their possessions, unless he wanted to go mad from the voices within his head. It was because of this curse that he was always alone, always an outsider. It was also this curse that saved his life, when he had the unfortunate pleasure to run into a hungry creature of darkness, in a dark alley, on a moonless night.

Gwyn had been settling down in the alley, trying to get comfortable for the night when the injured vampire had attacked. He wouldn't know till many years after the incident that the vampire had been only a common born, but to a human it made little difference. At first the male had looked like a simple drunk human, shifting for side to side, unable to keep on his feet. Gwyn had been trying his best to keep hidden and out of sight in order not to be bothered, that he hadn't noted the large puddles of blood left behind by the man as he walked. In fact he hadn't known the man was injured at all until he was grabbed tightly by the neck and thrust against the building with solid force.

Grabbing at the gloved hand crushing his neck, he croaked out his plea. "Please sir, let me go! I wasn't bothering you."

"Quiet, worm." The male warned flashing his fangs, shocking him even more.

Keeping hold of his prey with one hand and pulling his glove off with his teeth, the vampire used his uncovered hands to get a better grip on the Norwegian boy.

At the sudden skin-to-skin contact, Gwyn gave out a soundless cry as he felt the nightwalker's essence flood through him. The vampire's name was Jackson, he had been in a fight with another stronger vampire over a woman, suffice it to say, Jackson not only lost but was badly injured. He needed blood to heal, and he needed it now.

Gwyn was shocked out of his visualization by a sudden sharp, jabbing pain in his neck, and to his horror, he felt the life begin to drain out of him as the nightwalker began to feed on him, drinking his blood greedily.

The pain and the constant drain seemed to go on forever, and he felt darkness begin to peak through his eyes. The vampire gulped down his blood without care until he was satisfied, before dropping Gwyn's body unceremoniously to the ground. Without a thought to the human he had bleed dry, the nightwalker transformed into a bat before flying away into the night sky.

The young thief struggled to keep his eyes open, his body feeling like it was made of lead. Even as his heart struggled to pump the meager amount of fluid that remained in his veins, the constant flurry of the vampyr's thoughts and history ricocheted through his psyche like ping pong balls. However, even through all that chaos, he was able to find the information he needed…the information he needed to save his _**life**_.

Blood had continued to flow from his wound as he dragged himself along the cold ground; he could feel his heart beginning to sputter within his chest and his vision was going. He had no idea how he was staying conscious, but he didn't care either. He struggled for breath as he pulled himself to one of the pools of blood that had been left behind by the vampire. At the time, he didn't know why he wanted to live; he had no family, no loved ones, no dreams, no real goals, no reason to keep living. Yet…his body would not allow it, and his mind soon agreed. He wanted—no, he _needed_ to keep living. If only to prove the naysayers wrong, he wanted to see the next sunrise.

And with that lasting thought, he brought his mouth to the pool and drank as much of the red liquid as he could. Falling back to the ground, Gwyn gasped for breath as he felt jolts of pain shoot within his abdomen. Curling his body onto itself, he cried out in anguish as he jerked and twisted over the ground. The agony was overwhelming!

Eventually, he vaguely felt his body roll into the outside alcove of a nearby basement-level window. With a resounding crack, his skull struck stone, taking away both the pain and his consciousness.

He would not awaken for quite sometime later, and when he did, he would discover, that though he had saved his own life, he _**had**_ seen his last sunrise…

* * *

After that night, Gwyn was never the same again. He knew what he was now; he had gotten that much from his attacker's essence. He was now a walker of the night, a vampyr, no longer human but so much more. He had been able to grab bits and pieces from his creator's mind, however, his entry into the night world was a stumbling path for him to follow, caused by much trial and error. It had been much to take in; to realize that he now needed blood for sustenance and had to avoid the rays of the sun…there was so much to absorb and take in, to realize that one had lost their humanity.

For quite a few years he simply wandered, going from place to place, town to town, simply trying to survive. He had not aged a day, and therefore came to the conclusion that he was now immortal. He had been attacked a couple times and every time his wounds had healed in a matter of moments. However, Gwyn didn't know how much damage his new body could take or if he really could die, so he did his best to stay out of trouble and keep a low profile. Once he had gotten used to his new way of "eating", he only fed during the witching hour when no one was awake and he could go around as he liked. He killed as few humans as he could when he drank from them, and never a woman or child, but he had no qualms on those few times when he did take a human life. In his world, even when he had been human, it had always been about survival, and when it was a choice between himself and the other man, well, you can guess who won that argument.

He had met very few vampires along his travels. Most ignored him, and he did the same; a leftover habit from when he had been a simple thief. However, in wasn't until one night during the twentieth year of his rebirth that he realized that other things roamed the night besides the transient and nosferatu, and it was a night he would never forget for the rest of his endless life.

* * *

Gwyn walked along the empty road, the moon lighting his path. His eyesight was phenomenal, and he didn't need the light to see, but he was still glad for the presence of the full lunar body. His constant companion in this lonely existence, the moon had been his friend even before that fateful night. To him it seemed like a glowing sentinel that no matter where he traveled, was always watching over him. He had fed not long ago, and was silently making his way along the deserted pathways within the German Black Forests. Gwyn didn't really know what town or village lay in this direction, and he didn't really care. After a while, all the little provincial towns ended up looking the same. A year ago, after having lived in Denmark for a while, he had just sporadically decided to go live in Germany this time. And thus, here he was roaming the countryside, alone with his boredom and listless existence.

Yet, as he traveled that night, a loud cry broke through the dark silence causing him to jump in surprise. While initially startled, Gwyn quickly turned to his supernatural senses to feel out his surroundings. Almost instantly, his ears picked up the sound of keen yelping that was seemed akin to the animal cry he had heard. Moving stealthily through the trees, he blended in with the darkness until he came upon a sudden clearing accompanied by the strangest stench he had ever smelled.

It was a weird smell that seemed to assault his otherworldly senses, but was standable once he took the time to get used to it. Besides, there was something else in the air underneath even the strange scent._ Blood…_

He had discovered years ago that just the smell could whet his pallet, and his keen nose could pick it up in even the smallest amounts. So, following the scent, he looked around carefully before making his way into the clearing. The first thing that gained his attention was the two animal corpses laying at unnatural angles in the field, next to a fallen ash tree. _So they were the source of the blood…two wolves, hmm?_

Slowly, he approached the first wolf, a male, and felt its pulse. Affirming that it was dead, he examined the body closely, finding two bullet wounds in the torso. The animal was quite big, bigger than any wolf he has seen on his travels. It was a couple years after his rebirth that Gwyn had found that he had a new found affinity for wolves and could communicate with them to an extent. But this wolf, he guessed that the unpleasant earthy smell was from the fact that it was dead, since no wolf he had ever conversed with had had that smell either. It was a large wolf, bigger than the ones he had encountered to the north, with a reddish pelt and a silver-grey underbelly.

Walking over to the slightly smaller one that lay behind it, he found it was a female of the same species, probably the male's mate. She had six gunshot wounds in her head and torso, her teeth were red with what he could smell was human blood. _She didn't go down without a fight_, he thought to himself.

Standing up, he breathed out a sigh and looked around the scene. He couldn't touch the dead to get their story; his powers didn't work that way. He was tempted to touch the ground to see what exactly had happened, but he didn't want the headache. He could easily guess what had gone down. Two wolves had encountered some hunters; the male protected his mate, but went down quickly. The female used it as a distraction to attack and had kept coming too, it taking twice as many bullets to bring her down than it had the male.

He gave a little frown, now that was strange. Why would the female stay if the male had already been taken down. Why stay? Why not escape?

Suddenly, the yipping that had assaulted his ears before returned, and he turned sharply following the sound to the ash tree. His dark keen eyes picked up on movement under the branches. Something alive was underneath it!

Moving to the tree in a millisecond, rather than roll the trunk over endangering whatever was under it from getting crushed, the nightwalker youth opted to instead to simply lift the trunk up from the ground. Easily heaving the wood with one hand, Gwyn lifted the ash tree from the ground, and what he saw made him instantly understand what had been the situation, and then curse the hunters for being foolish idiots.

There, looking up at him from the ground was a small bundle of short russet-silver fur, the large eyes scared but curious. Hefting the tree over to one side, he then stood and got a good look at the peculiar little thing. Kneeling down, he carefully extended his gloved hand, letting the wolf pup tenuously move closer to sniff and lick him with caution. The infant had to be at least a month or two in age, it had already gained its sight and hearing and was away from the den, it also looked to be extremely agile and coordinated.

He tried to greet the pup by mental communication, but the little canine simply tilted his head to the left and stayed silent. He sighed, "Where is the rest of your pack, _min lille_?"

The male and female would have called out for help from their pack, but even if the pack came too late to save the adults, they would have found and taken in the pup. Seeing as the little ball of fluff was still here, it was obvious that either the wolves hadn't had time to call out for help, or they were a lone couple and no help would be coming for their orphaned offspring. For some reason, he had a feeling the answer was closer to the second option.

The pup looked at him for a second before toddling away toward the body of its mother. He watched with heartache as the little wolf tried to lick his mom into waking, but to no avail. It went to the father as well, but of course again nothing happened. Going back over to the female, the pup began to make whining noises as it realized that neither parent was going to wake up. Eventually, the little one simply curled up next to its mother's side,

He knew he should leave. The wolves were no business of his. The little pup would be found by some other wolves eventually and they would take care of him. He took one step and then another, taking him away from the heartbreaking scene. He couldn't risk attachments. When he was human he had figured out very early that you just couldn't trust anyone, and that lesson had stayed with him even now. He had always been a private person, never letting anyone get close. So what, if it meant he would forever be alone? He would be alone with his thoughts, and only his thoughts, which was always preferable to the alternative. It was better to be alone…wasn't it?

Gwyn had almost made it past the edge of the clearing back into the forest foliage, when he felt the tug at his pants leg. He didn't even have to look down to know what it was. But…he did anyway, and the look the pup gave him almost undid him.

Bending down, he picked up the young canine and held him within his arms. The little male nuzzled close to his chest before yawning. He shook his head and gave a little laugh. "You know, you should be with your own kind, _lille_."

The pup looked up at him with the epitome of "puppy-dog" looks, and he frowned, "You're doing that on purpose."

The little wolf simply dunked down into the crux of his arms and closed his eyes, which caused Gwyn to give a little laugh. He smiled, simultaneously surprised and relieved at the touch of affection that came to his heart. It had been so long since he had laughed, he thought it had been taken from him all those nights ago. Yet, this little furball had somehow brought it back out of him. Silently looking down at the nearly-sleeping pup, it took a total of two minutes—one for the idea to come to him, and another for it to cement itself into his mind.

Taking the youngling, he lightly deposited it inside his satchel before setting it down carefully on the forest floor. Without looking back, he returned to the clearing. With silent determination, he went into the brush and laid his gloved hand against the soil. Concentrating, he mentally began to move the dirt aside.

It was a clumsy and slow process as he was still trying to get the hang of using his vampiric powers over nature, but eventually, he was able to move enough to create a suitably deep hole.

Once he was done, he went back to the wolves. He stared at the pair for a moment before using his superior strength to lift one up under one arm and the other over his shoulder. He laid them carefully side by side in the impromptu grave, and with much greater ease, mentally refilled the pit.

When that was done and the grave finished, he knelt next to it, lightly touching the dirt in a sort of reverence to the dead. "I'll do what I can for him. I'm sorry I can't avenge you, but I will raise your son as best I can."

With that last promise, he glanced over having seen movement to his left. The young wolf had come over, and it pushed its wet nose into the soil of the grave. It then looked over at him with sorrowful eyes before keening out a tear-jerking wail, which if he had been older, would have been a full-fledged howl.

When it was done crying out its mourning, it walked over and onto Gwyn's lap and laid there looking at him with those pathetic eyes. The vampire stood up, taking the pup in his hands. He looked straight at it, hoping it could understand him. "I know I won't be able to take the place of your mama and papa, but I will take care of you as best I can until you can be on your own. You okay with that, _lille_?

The little canine made a small yip before wriggling around a little. Placing the pup back on the ground, the young one quickly scampered over to the satchel that he had left on the ground, before curling back up inside it.

Gwyn laughed out loud at the scene before walking over, "I'm going to guess that that's a yes."

Picking up the bag and placing it over his shoulder, he looked back down at the pup still wondering what the heck he was doing. Yet, when those large dark eyes turned to look up at him, he simply smiled and resigned himself to being a sap. "You'd better not do any of your mess inside that bag, got it?"

The wolf simply looked at him again, before closing its eyes in dismissal. Gwyn simply shook his head before he began walking again through the trees.

He and his newfound companion continued travelling through the forest as the night went by. As the wee hours of the morning began to approach, he had come upon a small town. Moving with stealth just in case the farmers had already begun to rise, he quickly searched the town and couldn't believe his good fortune when he found an abandoned barn with an empty cellar below.

Making his way into the darkness, he felt the insects, arachnids, and rodents exit at his arrival. He knew it had something to do with his presence, but that was all he knew and all he really cared to know. Closing the heavy door behind him sealing them in darkness, he was surprised that the wolf pup had not wined at the complete blackness. And when he looked down, the little thing simply look up at him, its tail wagging back and forth.

Shrugging, he sat down on the dirt, using his powers to clear the dust and cobwebs. He made sure his sleeping place was away from the door, just on the off chance someone came and opened it. Feeling the rising of the sun begin to pull him into lethargy, he felt the pup jump into his lap and look at him, seemingly able to see in the dark just as well as he could.

He smiled and scratched him behind the ears. "You know I'm going to have to go to sleep sometime. And when I do, I'm kind of a sound sleeper, but I don't think there is much damage you can do trapped down here with me. I suggest you get some sleep too, _lille_."

He stopped in his movement and then put his fist under his chin in thought. The pup, annoyed at the cessation of the enjoyable sensation, bumped against his still hand with its head.

Gwyn smiled warmly and absently petted the little furball, "I was just thinking. I can't keep calling you "_lille_". It would become undignified the bigger you got. So I guess I'm going to have to think of a name for you."

The pup perked up one ear, but was too busy enjoying himself to invest much interest. Turning over, he laid the pup on top of his chest and laid his head on his bag. "Since I found you under an ash tree, I could simply call you "Ash". But I think that's a little uncreative. Still…"

He suddenly sat up and smiled "I know! Your name will be Ashley. Has a little more flare to it, don't you think?"

The wolf gave a small yip and sat on his lap, its tongue hanging out. Gwyn chuckled and patted the pup's head with a smile. "So now we can do introductions."

He pointed to himself, "I'm Gwyn Vale."

He then pointed to the pup, "You're Ashley."

He continued to point between himself and the wolf, making sure things were clear…well, at least as much as they could be. "Gwyn, Ashley, Ashley, Gwyn, Gwyn, Ashley. You got it?"

Ashley barked this time, which he had begun to deduce meant "yes".

"Good. Well, I'll see you tomorrow night. I suggest you get some sleep as it's another day of travel tomorrow. And you're traveling outside the bag this time, got it?"

As he settled down and began to relax, he watched Ashley roll up in ball by his chest and he let his hand rest on the pup's side. "Goodnight, _lille_. Sleep well."

But the young wolf was already asleep.

Gwyn let his eyes get readjusted to the darkness as he blinked away the sleepiness and stretched giving a small yarn. It must be twilight now, time for another night of life. Yet, this time he wouldn't be traveling the evening alone.

Sitting up, he looked around for Ashley; however he was surprised not to see the pup anywhere! Standing up, he quickly scanned the entire cellar, but found no trace of the rambunctious canine.

An unfamiliar feeling hit his heart and grabbed it like a vice. Flying up the steps and out of the door, he came out into the barn. He looked around but still didn't see the pup.

He called out in earnest, "Ashley! Come here now!"

When he got no response, he went outside to the still dusky evening. "Ashley!"

The feeling in his heart began to get worse as he looked over the fields and trees to no avail. Where could he have gone? How could he have gotten out of the cellar anyway?

He called out again, and began to search the fields in earnest. Yet, just as he was about to search the nearby forest itself, he spotted movement to his left.

Out of the forest came the curious sight of a little boy with not a stitch of clothes on. He was a toddler at best, and Gwyn guessed that the boy was one of the farmer's children who was just getting back from a swim. However, when the child's mother didn't follow, and the child continued through the field alone, he noted that there was something not quite right. He didn't remember there being any ponds or lakes or rivers around here when he first surveyed the area…

Hiding from the child's sight under the shadow of the barn door, he decided to wait patiently for the boy to leave before he continued his search for Ashley. The little wolf pup couldn't have gotten far.

A breeze swirled about the area and carried with it that same strange stench that Ashley and his parents had. That little wild dog had to be close! He had to—

However, right then, the little child turned his head and looked straight at him! Before he could even move to hid himself, the boy was running toward him with a big grin on his face.

When the child finally stood in front of him, Gwyn could only look at him blankly as the boy smiled up at him.

When neither of them said anything, Gwyn looked away and tried to think of a way to get out of this. Switching to German he spoke, "You need to get home, young man. I think your parents are going to be looking for you."

The boy turned his head to the side in confusion, but answered. "'Wyn?"

He looked back at the child in surprise, turning back to Norwegian by accident, "What did you say?"

The boy giggled, and hopped up and down, speaking a mix of German and Norwegian. "You call me! You call me, 'Wyn?"

It was a contracted form, but the boy somehow knew his name! How can that be? He returned to German. "How do you know my name?"

The boy laughed and pointed at him, "'Wyn."

He then pointed to himself, "Ashley."

Gwyn jumped back, frozen with shock. No, there was no way. It wasn't possible.

Yet, as he studied the boy, he could see that his shaggy hair was a familiar shade of red, with atypical silver streaks running through it. And those eyes…there was definitely no mistaking those dark brown eyes.

The boy came up and grabbed his limp hand in his own. "Ready to go, 'Wyn!"

At that moment, the moon appeared from behind the cloud and Gwyn watched with wide, unbelieving eyes as the boy's body contorted in the moonlight. And before a full minute had passed, a young wolf pup stood it his place, wagging its tail and its tongue hanging out, looking up at him waiting in anticipation—Ashley.

Gwyn plopped to the ground in disbelief and watched as the apparent young werewolf jumped in and out of his lap, playing with his sleeve.

"You have got to be kidding me…"

* * *

As he was quite young for a lycan, Ashley had a hard time maintaining his form, and it was impossible during a full moon. It wasn't till after the sun had risen, that Gwyn could get the boy to turn back to his human form and get some sort of an explanation as to what was going on.

Of course, being a toddler, it was quite a task trying to get any sort of answers out of him. The kid was half-wolf and acted just as wild and playful. When he had finally gotten the boy to settle down and had given him his vest and belt to wear as a makeshift tunic, Ashley explained that his parents had just begun to teach him the beginnings of shifting and pouncing when that fateful night occurred.

Wiping the sleep from his eyes, Gwyn forced his eyes to stay open as Ashley cuddled up next to him, laying his head against his side. His small hand held on to his shirt, and he clumsily placed his arms around the boy, not used to such closeness.

It seemed that Ashley's first tongue was German, but he seemed to learn languages at an uncanny rate, and so he could also speak Norwegian. Yet, in either language it was only a small step above baby talk.

"Mama say "stay here". Papa angry. Air smell funny. I hide in tree and mama say "stay" and "be brave". Hear fighting, loud scary noises. Then everything was really quiet, no sound at all. I wait for mama and papa. I waited a loooong time. Then I saw 'Wyn. 'Wyn smell funny."

The small, innocent, and simple summary of the coldblooded murder to two parents defending their only child, pierced his heart to the quick. He held Ashley just a little closer.

His voice was warm as he joked, "I smell funny, huh? Well, you smell funny to me too."

The boy smiled and gave a shocked look at the same time before hitting him. "No, I don't!"

Gwyn raised an eyebrow, ignoring what felt like a tap. "Yes, you do."

Ashley hit him harder, "No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't!"

"Yes, you do." And with that last statement, he picked up the little boy and swung him into his lap before tickling his stomach. Erupting into a fit of giggles, the kid had a hard time responding back, and soon forgot the argument anyway in his pleas for the man to desist.

After a minute, Gwyn let up and sat the small boy next to him. "So tell me, what's your name, _lille_?"

Crooking his head to the side in that all too canine-like manner, he answered "Ashley."

Gwyn sighed and shook his head, "No, what did your mama and papa call you?"

He blinked this time, "Son and baby."

"They didn't give you a name?" He asked in surprise. His own mother, who had died but fifteen minutes after his birth, had still had the time to give him a proper name.

"Not time yet. Papa say so. Wait for full moon." He said nonchalantly while making doodles in the dirt.

"I see…"

Though he really didn't. It must be a werewolf thing.

Looking up from his finger drawing, his brown eyes sparkled even in the darkness. "'Wyn name me on full moon. So, name is Ashley."

He sighed and ruffled the boy's hair. "I guess it is."

Gwyn watched as the other made small piles out of the dirt. He had never dealt with children before, but he was starting to get the feeling that some of them—at least this one—were easily distracted.

"Now, you tell me what you were doing outside? Don't do that anymore, understand? I was worried about you."

Ashley flopped onto his stomach and began to try to pile the small piles on top of one another. "I was hungry."

Gwyn pinched the bridge of his nose amazed at his own stupidity, Had he truly been a creature of the night for so long that had forgotten that there were beings that required a little more than hemoglobin for sustenance.

But of course he didn't let the kid know that he had forgotten he needed food. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You wouldn't get up. I called for houuurrrs."

"That's because I'm a deep sleeper. I like to sleep when I'm tired. Which is what you should have been doing. Why weren't you asleep?"

"Couldn't." The little boy gave up playing with dirt and began to investigate other things.

Too tired to watch him scurry back and forth anymore, Gwyn took Ashley's hands in his own and held him still. "_**Why**_ couldn't you? You were doing okay till I fell asleep. I can't watch you all the time you know. You're going to have to go to sleep sometime."

The boy shook his head vigorously.

He sighed in exasperation, "Why not?"

This time he looked away sheepishly, and his voice became soft, "Because you're not Mama…"

Gwyn let go of him in surprise and the child slunk off to his side, only to be bury his head in it.

There was complete silence and no one moved for a moment. The newly christened Ashley didn't know how his new guardian would react, but he wanted to tell the truth. Whether in their house or stone den, he had never slept without his mother by his side. She was so warm and snuggly, and her heartbeat would easily send him to a peaceful sleep.

However, that night, it seemed everything had changed. He couldn't quite understand everything, but he somehow knew that his mother and father couldn't be with him any longer. He didn't know why they wouldn't wake up, but they seemed to have left Gwyn to name and take care of him.

Gwyn was strange to him, but fascinating and nice. He had never met anyone that smelled like he did. It was a horrible scent at first, but after a while, it wasn't so bad. And Gwyn carried him in a bag, which was fun. Mama and Papa had never done that.

Yet, Gwyn was like a rock when he slept. He felt cold and Ashley couldn't even find his heartbeat! He had almost been afraid that he had gone to sleep like his Mama and Papa had. Yet, when he sniffed, he didn't find the same smells. No, Gwyn just slept strangely. And even though he had tried to sleep at first, he just couldn't stay that way. There was no warmth of his mother's arms or the feel of her heart next to him. He had fidgeted for hours and finally decided he was hungry.

When he couldn't wake Gwyn to tell him, he went off on his own to look for a small animal to pounce like his Papa taught him. When he had caught and eaten a few fish, he wandered around until he heard Gwyn calling him. He hadn't meant to worry Gwyn. He liked Gwyn. Yet, he just wasn't the same. He missed Mama!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, his ears pricked up to a new sound. It was—humming?

A hand slipped behind his back and rubbed up and down in a gentle caress, all the while the hummed melody continued. Looking up slowly, Ashley glanced at the man beside him, but Gwyn wasn't looking at him. Yet still, the song he hummed was pretty and his voice seemed to draw him it. It wasn't gruff at all like his Papa's, but it was clear and light as a bell's.

Shuffling out of Gwyn's side, he laid his head on the man's abdomen instead in an effort to hear better. Gwyn's hand moved with him and continued to rub his back, but this time he also pattered his fingertips against it to the beat of the music. It wasn't long before Ashley relaxed into the comforting touch. He was so relaxed that he didn't even move in surprise when Gwyn began to sing.

_"Been a long road to follow,_

_Been there and gone tomorrow,_

_Without saying goodbye to yesterday._

_Are the memories I hold still valid?_

_Or have the tears deluded them?"_

The steady beating against his skin and the melody of the song combined to create a sense of euphoria for Ash. The melody sounded so sad and lonely, but it was so pretty and sweet at the same time. Was Gwyn sad too? Was he lonely?

_"Maybe this time tomorrow,_

_The rain will cease to follow,_

_And the mist will fade into one more today,_

_Something somewhere out there keeps calling—_

_"Am I going home?_

_Will I hear someone singing solace to the silent moon?_

_Zero gravity, what's it like?_

_"Am I alone?_

_"Is somebody there beyond these heavy aching feet?_

_Still the road keeps on telling me to go on,_

_Something is pulling me,_

_I feel the gravity of it all…"_

Gwyn took in a deep breath as he ran his hand along the sleeping Ashley's unruly mane of hair. He hadn't thought about that song since the days before he ran away from the house in which he had been indentured to as a child. A young maid in the household named Bergliot who had taken care of him, sung it to him as a lullaby.

Neither of their lives had been easy and Berg would die of sickness shortly after his seventh birthday, but she had always been one to hope for a better tomorrow no matter what the situation. He had cared for her and she for him, but when she died he ran away from the house never to return. And not a note of music had passed his lips in all the years since then—until now.

Careful not to disturb the boy, he laid down next to him and closed his eyes. Gwyn slowed down his breathing and heart rate but didn't shut it down. He could sleep the sleep of humans if he wished. It just wouldn't be as restful as completely shutting down. Yet, he could take it until Ashley had adjusted to his presence and to his company. He held the boy to his chest near his heart and then closed his eyes, hoping he had done the right thing by taking in this little wolf boy. He knew nothing about how to care for the needs of another, but it was too late for that now. He had made his choice, and now he just had to hope that he could live with it…

* * *

Gwyn smiled through the tears and rain, his memories of the days he had first adopted Ashley were some of his happiest. He had been so unsure then, a first-time parent of a young child. Yet now, many years later, he knew it had been one of the best decisions of his life. He would come to love Ash as his own, and the lycan would become his greatest treasure. He had not known till many years after Ashley had reached adolescence, that their relationship had been an unprecedented one. Lycans and vampires it seemed, despite both being nightwalkers, were natural enemies. Neither group really liked the other, though they did tolerate the others presence as long as they didn't invade each other territory. Vampyrs thought lycans to be wild and uncivilized, while lycans thought vampires snobby, aristocratic elitists. It had amazed both races that a vampyr and a lycan could not only be friends, but have a close familial bond.

If he kept his mind on those memories, he could get through this. Just focus on those early days and ignore all other thoughts; that was the trick.

He grabbed on tighter to the tree branch; he ignored the howling wind and surging torrents as he concentrated harder. "J-Just think about Ashley. Only As-sh-hley…He's all that matters. Nothing else…j-just Ashley…_**just**_ Ashley."

He breathed deeply in and out and kept his eyes shut tight, struggling to block out the words and thoughts running around his head, not all of them his. Phantom thoughts that had escaped the Pandora's Box that was the recesses of his mind…

"GWYN!"

The young vampire's eyes snapped open, and he turned his golden eyes toward the caller of his name with a snarl. Well, if it wasn't Pandora himself, coming to witness the damage he had wrought.

Raphael landed on the earth and called out to his mate again. He could feel his presence nearby, but was having trouble seeing him in the darkness, wind, and rain of the wicked thunderstorm.

"Gwyn! It's me! Please! Please, you've got to talk to me Gwyn. I'm sorry! I know there is nothing I can do that can make up for what I've done, but can you please at least talk to me?"

He looked around him, but nothing moved. Yet, he knew the other was still there, his scent still strong, even in the storm. He pushed his drenched white locks from out of his face, for all the good it did as the gusts of wind blew them right back.

He yelled back into the storm, "Gwyn, I won't let your memories of Donovan destroy you! You have to—"

"DON'T!"

Raph watched as his mate jumped out from one of the trees, his hair and clothes soaked through, his eyes golden and bloodshot, and his cheeks red with tears. He looked like crap, but at this point the master was simply happy to see him.

However, the feeling was not mutual.

"Don't you _**dare**_ say HIS name!" the Scandinavian nightwalker spat at him with vehemence. He then, just as quickly, did an about-face and began to mumble to himself, holding his head in pain.

Raph walked closer to him, but was surprised when he snapped back and hissed at him. But he wasn't surprised, yet a little sad as Gwyn took a few steps in the opposite direction. He had never expected this to be easy.

"I-I don't want to talk to you…I don't want to see you, _løytnant_."

Raphael cringed at the sharp retort and the use of the foreign word. Whenever his carusevo was truly and thoroughly angry with him, he would call him by the Norwegian word for "lieutenant".

"Gwyn, let me—"

"SHUT UP!" the other yelled, "You've done enough!"

Gwyn vanished before appearing further away, his back still to Raph, bent over clutching his head and abdomen in anguish. "I…I-I don't want to…I _can't_ talk to you. Have to remember…Ashley…only Ashley…"

The lieutenant's brow furrowed in concern as he watched his mate struggle. "Ashley? Gwyn, you—"

"I will only talk to Ashley!" the other vampire interrupted him, suddenly standing up straight. His posture was ramrod as he turned to look upon Raphael, his eyes glared askance in the darkness, and his hands were clenched into fists.

"Do not worry for me, _løytnant_. You may return home, to your castle and court. I have temporarily controlled the damage that you have done."

Raph wanted to take the man into his arms and never let go, but he knew that it would only do more harm than good. "Beloved, please don't shut me out. Let us—"

"Don't call me that, when you obviously don't know what it means!" Gwyn growled in return. "You cannot say both 'beloved' and 'slut' from the same lips and mean them both!"

At his own mention of the despised trigger word, Gwyn fell to one knee and struggled to leash the whispers that were thrashing at the edges of his haphazardly patched control.

The blond rushed to his mate's side, but was stopped as the other called a bolt of lightning to halt him in his tracks.

"Don't come near me!" he screamed in fury. "Don't touch me."

Raphael stood still and watched with anguish as Gwyn looked at him with a pain-based anger. He knew the anger would eventually dissipate, and all that would be left was the pain. That was the point that he feared, when Gwyn, alone with his thoughts and anguish, might do something drastic to make it all go away.

He was about to plead again, when the other man began to speak instead. He slowly stood up and turned away, looking ragged and just plain tired. "I won't do anything drastic_, løytnant_. I still have a job to do, and a friend who needs me. I will continue and do my duty."

He turned and looked at him with a single haunted eye, "However, I will not speak to you. Nor shall I see you again after this night. I am still your mate, I cannot change that. I will do my duty to my people, but from afar. I will not talk to your messengers or your soldiers. I will talk to no one but Ashley Vale."

"Gwyn, you're being too rash! I—"

"No one but Ashley."

Raph looked at him with concern, "But Gwyn, you know that Ashley's—"

"Leave now, _løytnant_! You are wasting my time." He completely turned his back on him, and began to walk away. "Know, that you could try to take me back by force, but the person you would imprison there would not be me. You would have my body, but I would not be in it. You could try me, but that's a gambit you would lose."

With those last words, Gwyn transformed into a raven and flew off, leaving his forlorn mate to figure out how he would mend the shattered pieces of this broken mess.


	9. Gates

**Chapter 9-Gates **

"There it is…an Imperial Gateway."

Hearing Azrael's statement, Riho rushed ahead to where he and Shido where standing near an outcropping of trees. "Let me see!"

Yukina too got up from her sitting place and waddled up to where the vampires stood, a hand against her back as it happened to be aching pretty badly. "Thank goodness! I had hoped we would get home soon. I didn't want to have this child on the road, and as helpful as you guys are, I don't think any of you have the stomach to help deliver a baby."

All three of the nightwalkers turned to her, Azrael looking queasy and Riho nervous and wondrous all at the same time. Shido simply smiled sheepishly, "We would do what we'd have to. Though, since Riho has no knowledge of how to assist with a fae birth and I really don't want your kin to be angry with me, I do suggest we get you back home to the Crystal Forest as soon as possible."

"Why would her family be angry, Shido-san?" Riho asked quietly as they went back to observing the area ahead of them.

'_If there was no other choice, I would do all I could to deliver the baby safely. And her family would accept that, as long as baby and mother were safe and healthy. However, it is a fae taboo for a male to be anywhere in the birthing room if he is not the husband or a family member.'_ He answered telepathically.

She nodded before suddenly looking back at him in shock, "You know how to deliver babies?"

He laughed aloud at the incredulous look on her face. "You'll find that there is much you don't know about me, Riho-chan. I strive to be full of surprises."

Yukina toddled past them whispering under her breath, "Oh, she's going to be _surprised_ alright…"

Having heard her anyway, Shido turned a sardonic look her way, completely ignoring Riho's baffled stare. "You know? I had forgotten how irritating you fairies could be."

This time, the ice fae ignored him but instead peered ahead. Her face quickly adopted a confused look. "I don't understand, Lieutenant. I see what appears to be a sort of door or gateway between those trees there, but there is nothing else but crags and forest all around. It is not connected to anything!"

Shido too looked in question to Azrael, as the barrier that surrounded the Empire had not been built when he had last lived in the world of the vampires. At that time, while the world of nightwalkers had been separate for the most part from the humans, they had still lived among them. The humans who lived within their territories had either lived with gullible ignorance, or walked among them with either fear or respect for them, sometimes a mixture of both. The lords maintained their territories in any case, and anyone whether human or nightwalker, knew who really ruled the land despite what human governments said. Yet, while the vampires had had their buildings, homes, and places of business, there had never been any physical showing of borders or distinction between the human and vampire worlds. All vampyrs knew which territory was whose and where it began and stopped, but they hadn't referred to it as any sort of central body or nation.

That changed after the day of the Bloody Constantine Massacre.

Once mortals across the world were made aware that the things that went bump in the night walked around them on a daily basis, the vampire lords, the royal family of the fae, and the clan alphas of the lycans, had gotten together and decided to do what must be done about the situation. Shido could just imagine how that meeting had gone down. The person who had invented the adage "they fight like cats and dogs" had never seen vampires and lycans in the same room together.

He was sure that the swift decisions that were made could only have come from the direness of the situation. All three species were old enough to know and predict that the humans would turn violent toward anything they considered different or mysterious. Goodness knows they had destroyed each other because of simple differences, so it was a no-brainer that they would strike out against what was not even human in nature.

None of the three species were large enough to take on humanity alone, so they decided to band together into one force in order to help defend each other. They had all lived in pretty much the same region and while he could bet there had been a grumble, they had all moved their borders and closed ranks becoming one unit. The leaders of the nightwalkers came out to the public, taking over the media and public airways, announcing to the world that they did exist and that they were willing to live in peace with humanity as long as humans left them to their own devices. They stated that the land that they had inhabited for millennia would now officially be their home. And thus, The Empire was born…

All immortals were welcome, but any humans that lived there would have to either bend to their new rule or be escorted to the borders. No humans were allowed in unless they made a bloodvow of allegiance to the rulers of the Empire, and once inside, they could never leave again. Once the war started, humans were banned completely from admittance. Yet, though he had heard speak of the nightwalkers' impenetrable gate that allowed none to enter except those who belong, Shido had never heard of what kind of barrier it was or what made it so special.

Azrael looked back at his companions, "The gateway that surrounds the Empire is one that has never before come into existence. It is completely invisible to the mortal eye. Yet, when one looks at with the immortal eye…"

His aquamarine eyes flashed to brilliant gold as he summoned up the supernatural power that lay waiting inside of him, within his reach when needed. Shido and Riho followed suit, and immediately the area that had once seemed empty, was not so empty anymore.

Riho jumped in surprise and grabbed Shido's arm, "Shido-san! Everything's glowing blue! It's a glowing blue wall that touches the sky!"

"Well I don't know about 'touching the sky' RIho, but the blue you see is energy, fairy energy if I'm not mistaken, given the color." He commented in return, studying the once invisible barrier in detail.

No human would be able to see it, but any nightwalker would be able to sense or see it in some manner. Now that he had time to think about it, there _was_ a charge in the air that he hadn't felt before they were in the gate's proximity. Once he had looked through his vampire eyes, he was able to see that surrounding the stone doorway was what seemed to be a liquid, electric blue wall that rippled and pulsed as if alive. It rose into the air and seemed to scrape the sky; it went along the length of the ground as far as the eye could see on both sides of the doorway.

Yukina, who having lost her power because of pregnancy, couldn't see the wall, but she could feel the energy flowing all around her. "Did my people build this, Lt. Azrael?"

The man nodded affirmatively. "As you both know, the fae don't like going and getting their hands dirty on the battlefield—"

"Lieutenant!" The ice fairy looked at him incredulously. "My people will protect themselves and that which they love to the last man! Our defensive skills are unparalleled. However, it is not in our nature to go on the offensive unless we absolutely need too. "

The vampire laughed good-naturedly, "For not often going on the offensive, you get easily _offended_, Lady Yukina. "

The woman huffed but she let them all laugh at her expense.

Catching his breath, Azrael continued, "I was just about to say that though the fae don't fight out in the battlefield, to make up for it, they have some of the best defensive skills of any species. They created this wall that acts as a shield and defense for the Empire."

Shido watched the blue energy slink back and forth in pulsing currents and ripples. "How does it work?"

The other hunched his shoulders, "I don't precisely know. However, if a nightwalker hit the wall from either side, they would feel the energy all around them physically like water and if they for some reason still didn't understand what they just hit, the energy would become denser the further you walked until it stopped you cold like ice. If you were a mortal, you wouldn't feel the wall at all, but once you tried to invade its area of boundary it would instantaneously send you to its opposite barrier, a sort of magical teleportation without you even realizing it. So, if a human tried to go though it from here, they'd find themselves stepping into the outer limits of Siberia or wherever our northern border ends. It insures that no human actually enters the Empire by any means and yet, can never say where exactly our borders lie at all times."

Yukina spoke up, "I know of the type of shields that you're talking about. The fae have used them for years in the forests where we live to protect our homes and families. It's why humans always told stories and myths after getting lost in the forest from getting transported across an entire area of space without knowing it. Yet it was never something on so large a scale. It would take many fae, strong in magic, to do what you have described."

He nodded, "The fae High King gathered the strongest of sorcerers in the Forest and had them travel to points along the borders of our land. At each point they created an interlocking shield system that nearly killed them all to complete. I hear that even now they are still trying to regenerate their energy. But once it was complete, it was easy to expand the borders every time we conquer more land, or so I've been told."

"And so is the archway the entry point into the Empire itself?" Riho asked curiously.

"You are quite astute, dearest Riho. There are several of those gateways along the wall, each one is situated where the fae who formed that section was standing. This one was the nearest one to us. Each entry point has a checkpoint team of vampires who man it just in case a human attempts to sneak in. There are also guerilla fighters who protect and guard the gates from the outside in order to aid refugees."

"But why would they need to—"

Riho never got to complete her sentence as an intense laser blast went off above her head and hit the tree next to her. Azrael quickly pushed her to the ground and covered her as more solar gun charges went off. Shido did the same with Yukina and looked into the trees around them. He gritted his teeth as the smell of mortal flesh began to fill his senses, "Ambush…"

Gunfire rained down on them and he vampires had to refrain from their natural instincts to turn into mist and flee in light of the pregnant female in their midst. The blue-haired ice fairy trembled from in his arms, her heart racing with fear. Shido took her in his arms and used his speed to get them to the cover the nearby brush. Placing her in the center of the bush, he quickly constructed an invisibility shield over the disturbed spot, hiding her from view. "Don't move and keep quiet until we come for you. Got it?"

She nodded hurriedly, instinctively curling into a fetal position while her hands wrapped around her middle. He made sure that the area would look as inconspicuous as possible before, he left her to go join his compatriots.

Riho and Azrael were crouched behind a tree, low enough to avoid the gunfire but at the vantage point so that they could see from what direction their enemies are coming from. As he appeared behind them, his childe looked back at him.

'_Azrael says that they have closed in on our position and they are trying to cut us off.'_

He nodded, '_Keep close to us. We're going to have to fight our way out of this one, Riho. Follow our lead and only take on opponents you can handle. And don't get cocky; these guys know exactly who and what we are.'_

He waited for her to acknowledge his mental command before turning his focus to the lieutenant. Touching the man's shoulder, he used a common non-verbal vampyr language, lightly tapping out his question.

_What are we up against?_

The azure-haired vampire moved his fingers even quicker, drumming against the trunk of the tree.

_They are trying to circle around us. Three on the left, three on the right, and three in front. They have solar rifles, but I don't know what other weaponry they may be carrying. _

He nodded in return before tapping again against the guy's shoulder.

_They are silent and fast for humans, and I'm guessing specially trained to take us down. Stay cautious for whatever tricks they may pull and don't underestimate them. Each of us will take three and cut them down one at a time._

Azrael nodded in cold agreement before moving to the right and disappearing into the foliage, forming into a moving cloud of fine mist. Shido turned back to Riho in time to see her eyes follow the receding form of the lieutenant, before she turned her attention back to him. He crooked his finger at her, asking her to follow him as he carefully moved from tree to tree. As he kept bobbing and weaving through the forest cover, he spoke telepathically to his childe, even as he tried to keep up with the enemy who had also gone silent.

'_Riho, we have nine humans out there trying to kill us. They are very lethal and very dangerous, can you sense them?'_

She closed her eyes and sent her senses out to gather what she could about her surroundings. It was surprised how hard it was to sense these particular humans, but eventually she was able to make out several heartbeats and breathing patterns.

Shido continued, _'I will be taking on the three men coming in from the front, Azrael is taking them on from the right and I need you to take out the guys on the left. Keep silent, use what I've taught you and follow your instincts.'_

Riho looked into his golden eyes, hers still at their normal color, before looking back down to the ground. She had never consciously killed before, and it was making her uncomfortable and unsure. That night when she had saved Yukina's life, she had hardly been aware of herself or her actions, acting instead out of a berserker-like rage. To now do so consciously...

Knowing what she was feeling, Shido put a sympathetic hand to her face and urged her to look up at him. _'I know this is your first conscious hunt, but know that both the lieutenant and I are nearby. If you are in any trouble, call either of us telepathically or use the whistle signals that I showed you. We have to protect Yukina, and these humans are willing to do whatever is necessary to kill and/or capture us. Don't give them the opportunity. We are too close to being able to live a life free from all this. We are too close to having a home again to give up now.'_

Thinking back to all the sacrifices that had been made to get them here, to Yukina's little babe who had yet to be born, to Azrael who was waiting for them to attack, to their friends who had given their lives so that they could escape, and suddenly her decision became easier. Letting her claws slip forward and her fangs elongate, Riho looked at her sire with a silent, affirming, golden gaze before disappearing into the nearby foliage.

Shido watched his daughter go and silently wished her a hunter's luck before he went on his own pursuit. He moved quietly on foot, getting a feel for his victims. His night vision and his keen hearing were potent mixes, and easily gave him a huge edge when dealing with mortals. He patiently stalked the man closest to him, waiting cautiously for a moment when the man was alone.

He had to admit that these men were good. They stayed together enough so that they had each other in sight, but not to the point where it affected their movement. He picked up the sound of one muffled cry and knew that Azrael had made his first kill, and thankfully the humans had yet to notice they had lost a member. Knowing this small element of surprise wasn't going to last long, Shido went to make his move on his prey, poising his razor-keen claws for the kill—

"_ARGHHH!_"

A strangled scream tore through the air, startling all who heard it. Shido cursed their luck under his breath and looked back to the man he had been stalking, only to glance into the barrel of a gun!

Swearing loudly, he quickly sidestepped, but even with his advanced speed, he could still feel the heat of the plasma as it shot past his face. Shifting to mist quickly, he moved rapidly behind hunter and without even pausing, re-phased, reached around the man's neck and sliced down with his claws, cutting through cloth and flesh alike.

He watched the soon-to-be corpse flounder and twitch on the ground, unable to call out a warning or even breathe through the lacerated trachea, before he quickly moved on. He knew that it had been Riho's victim that had screamed that last blood-curdling warning, for the lieutenant would have been more careful and used a lot more stealth than an infant fledgling.

However, now that the alarm had been sounded, the humans would be converging on their comrade's position…which would inevitably lead them to Riho…

It was time to drop the stealth and fight face to face. He felt Azrael join him as he too understood the change in tactics and the charge in the air. Moving with superhuman speed, he gave his companion hand signals telling him how they would approach. The lieutenant glanced at him for a moment, before finally nodding. Shido sent a mental warning to his childe, but it went unanswered and he grimaced in concern. However, before he could try again, a slight whine and the smell of ozone filled the air, and suddenly he was knocked to the ground, burning pain shooting through his shoulder!

He snarled in agony and anger, the animal beginning to rise up within him. Shido clasped a hand around the burnt flesh and splintered bone of his wounded shoulder, before looking around at his attacker. The human assassin was wearing long range night goggles and was already aiming his rifle for another shot. Shido, in a burst of primal rage, felt his body move even before his brain could send the signal to his legs. His fangs had already slid into place and his claws were already at their maximum length.

He was on the man before the hunter was even able to blink in surprise at the turn of events. With one sharp swipe and tug he had easily gotten under the hunter's defenses and ripped a ragged, gaping hole in his throat. Even as the man jerked around in his death throes, Shido laid his mouth against the wound and gulped up as much blood as could. Vampires learned early that when wounded and without another suitable nightwalker donor available, to use any human within reach to supply the extra blood needed for healing. While most wounds would heal without help, extra plasma allowed the body to mend faster. In another lifetime, Shido would have felt guilt in his heart at the thought of using a human in such a way; to take their lifeblood to replace his own. But that was another life, and now—he didn't think twice.

Azrael had gone on ahead of him but he easily caught up, using the wind and trees to aid him in his pursuit. More laser shots zipped past him, but he expected them and avoided. The lieutenant was a blue flash of death as all that could be seen as he cut the hunters down was his whirling azure hair. By the time Shido had caught up to him, he had left three blood-soaked, twitching corpses in his wake.

He could smell Riho ardently now, but he could also smell the several humans that were all around her. He knew Azrael could smell the same by the steely look upon his face, his already crimson-painted claws poised and ready, a single elongated canine was seen gleaming in the moonlight. He knew, that his comrade knew, that the fledgling female would survive almost any harm that came to her. But he also knew that the master vampire would reap vengeance on any and all who dared.

All of a sudden, all solar weapons ceased and a single gunshot from an ordinary firearm rang out into the night. The resulting silence was followed by a shout of "HALT!" in accented Romanian.

The two vampires stopped in their tracks in front of the remains of the group of mortal hunters who had risen out of their hiding places and assembled with their leader. Aside from the solar rifles they held by their sides, a multitude of weapons were holstered and hidden on their persons, including knives, handguns, crossbows, and some things that were unknown to him. There had been more than they had originally figured, fifteen rather than nine, and with the ones that they had killed, the total was eight. The extra six must have been hiding in the shadow of their teammates, making them harder to spot as individuals.

Each was decked out in black garb, cloaks, and camouflage, their body temperatures hidden by the cooling vests they wore, and their scents dampened by the covering scents of wildlife. It wasn't much of a disguise when taking on a nightwalker head on, but was plenty good enough for ambush and sneak attack which was what these units were trained to do. Shido had seen other fighters like these on his travels. They were called the Night Watchers and they were the underlings of the Neo-Centurions. Less recognized, less honored, just as ruthless.

The one who had shouted to get their attention (obviously the leader), held Riho by her arm with one hand and a hand gun in his other. The girl child struggled against the man, but he held her in such a punishing, iron grip that she soon ceased in fatigue. Bruises adorned her face and large shackles bound her wrists, crimson rivulets ran down her hands from the metal fetters and fell to the ground.

The Watch leader seeing he had gotten the bloodsuckers attention watched the two of vampires approach cautiously. They were half in shadow, their inhuman golden eyes blazing in the darkness. Both were tall with ivory, flawless skin, and while dressed in rags, they carried themselves with the air and grace of aristocrats. Both were tall, but the larger of the two looked at them furiously, his sapphire hair swirled in the air as if under its own volition. That one would be one to look out for, but the other blood-sucker—that one somehow seemed even more dangerous. His face showed little to no inflection, and his long, unbound lilac hair shaded much of his body from view. This vampire didn't seem to be bothered or affected by the situation in front of him, his golden eyes were piercing, searching…calculating.

He barked at them in Romanian, "Make another move, and I will put a bullet through her brain. And know this nosferartu, she _won't _get back up."

Azrael growled, "You monsters! She's just a child—"

Shido placed a warding hand in front of the younger male, tapping out brief message to be patient, before turning to the Night Watchers. "What is it you want of us? We have done nothing to provoke this attack."

The humans sneered and a few laughed, one answering under his breath. "You _exist_, that's enough!" However, a look from their leader soon silenced them.

He turned back to the nightwalkers and said "You are both under arrest for crimes against humanity, and shall be turned over to the custody of the Night Enforcement Organization and held without bond to await trial for the crimes that have charged against you. My men will restrain you; if you make any moves against them or try to escape in ANY way, they have the authority to use para-lethal force against you and any aiding you."

Shido and Azrael glanced at each other. In other words, the three of them were going to be captured against their will, taken to the neo-centurions, who would then lock them in a cell and throw away the key—_**if**_ they were lucky. Yet, if they tried to escape now, Riho would be shot by a silver bullet which would kill her instantly, and they would be seriously injured by the solar rifles. And then they would _still_ be taken to the neo-centurions.

Shido considered his options and was unable to see a non-messy way out of this situation. They had to make sure that they didn't find Yukina, and he couldn't let Riho die. And even if they were captured, until they were turned over to NEO, there would still be chances for escape. Arriving at a decision, he stepped forward and held out his hands, palm side up in surrender. Azrael seemed to have arrived at the same thought and followed his movements, also holding his hands out.

Riho looked at them in anguish and self-contempt but kept her mouth closed as the hunters kept their guns trained on the two males and the leader kept the muzzle of his own firearm ground deeply into her skull. She had never so weak before, so useless! The two people who were closest to her were giving themselves up for her! If only she had been more careful and not have gotten caught so easily, they might have gotten away already. But instead, here she was caught and being used as a hostage to get her older and more experienced compatriots to cooperate. To hear Azrael call her "only a child" had hurt, but she was beginning to see that she was indeed a child in their eyes, and that someone older and more mature would not have made the same mistakes as she. But even as she felt the self-loathing drip through her heart, she could also feel great weakness come through her. As soon as they had placed those cursed manacles around her wrists, she had felt her strength suddenly leave her and it was becoming a chore to even do the most simple of movements. Even she in her naiveté could tell what a bad situation they were in. How were they ever going to get out of this one?

The Night Watch leader ordered the two vampires to lay face down on the ground arms extended, to which after a moment of hesitation and indignation, Shido and Azrael obeyed. Two of the watchers approached cautiously, while their comrades kept their guns trained on their targets. They firmly and cruelly placed a booted foot on their backs to pin them to the ground before holstering their guns. In one speedy movement, they wrapped the vampyrs' long hair tightly around their right wrists and pulled up violently causing the two to snarl in anger, before snapping the familiar silver manacles around their outstretched wrists.

The minute the mechanical shackles snapped closed around his wrists, Shido felt two things happen simultaneously. First, came the excruciating pain of four, long, needle-like spikes ejecting from the inside surface of the restraints and piercing through the flesh, muscle and bone of his wrists, causing him to yell out in agony. Secondly, came the much more anguishing feel of his supernatural strength rapidly draining from his body, making his entire being feel languid and fatigued. He knew that the two were directly connected and as his eyes changed from gold back to emerald, he knew their situation had become even dimmer than before.

The humans watched the two vampires suffer with glee, before the two watchers that had bound them pulled them up by their still firm hold on their hair, and threw them before the leader. The man kept his gun on Riho as the blue-haired vampire snapped his fangs at the humans, only to feel a responding jolt from the binders at the use of paranormal energy.

"With those restraints on, any sort of pull on your cursed powers will only make you weaker and will only punish you for the attempt. They have made you weak and pathetic animals, more wretched than the human prey that you have hunted for generations. "He explained unsympathetically.

Shido thought to test the man's words, but Azrael did so for him, first trying to summon his power, and then trying to turn himself into mist. Both were simple feats for even fledglings, but the lieutenant was unable to do so, and instead held back a scream as the sparks crackled around his bleeding wrists. The humans laughed at the failed attempts and the Watch leader simply ordered them to stand. However, before they were even able to get their legs beneath them, the watchers grabbed their arms with grips of iron and yanked them to their feet, no longer cautious of their "collared" prey.

He hissed as the slightest movement of his arms sent pain shooting through his body, and so was careful to keep his bound hands as still as possible. He looked to his comrade for any ideas, but the other male seemed to be busy just trying to stay standing. Perhaps the more powerful the vampire, the more draining the shackles were on the individual.

Struggling to stand up on his own, he made eye contact with Riho. As he touched her mind, he was battered by hot flashes of pain, so much so that he was amazed that she could even stay conscious!

'_Riho-chan? Are you alright?'_ Shido winced at the injury that even a simple telepathic communique could cause.

The young female didn't have the energy or stamina to respond in kind, so she simply nodded. However, even this answer was not unnoticed by her human captor who slapped her hard across the face. "No communication, witch! We know you creature can talk with your minds. If we get even a sense that you are plotting something, I won't hesitate to put a silver bullet deep in your brain!"

Azrael snarled in rage, his fangs white and fully bared. Even as the shackles sparked, the pain rose to a crescendo, and crimson perspiration began to bead his skin, he strained against the two humans who were attempting to hold him. His eyes flickered between teal and gold and blood dripped from his mangled wrists. _How dare they touch her! They would not put another of their filthy human hands on her; he wouldn't allow it!_

The leader nodded to the man to his right, who subsequently raised his rifle, aiming it for the enraged creature. Riho watched in horror as the soldier prepared to shoot, and before she even considered the consequences, she acted. Wrenching away from her captor with every ounce of superhuman strength and speed left to her, she moved to grab the gun!

"No!"

Shido watched in shock and horror as the shot went wild, catching the girl in the upper-arm and she subsequently cried out as she collapsed to the ground clutching her seared and gushing wound. Both he and Azrael began to crawl to her, but stopped as a second shot rang out through the air, followed by a blood-curdling scream.

The Night Watch chief lowered his arm, the muzzle of his handgun still expelling wafts of smoke. He watched the two older male vampires look upon their blood-spattered comrade in shock, and shook his head at the stupidity and arrogance of these night walkers. He _had_ warned them after all…

A pity…if he didn't know better, the female creature almost resembled a teenage school girl.

Without warning, the violet haired male snapped his head towards him, and even though his eyes were still a normal color, the stone hardness within them caused an involuntary shudder to develop in the small of his back. A low growl could be heard as his lips developed into an animal-like snarl, two razor-keen canines gleamed heralding the impending danger.

He swiftly changed aim and cocked the pistol, letting the killer know that he would be next if he didn't put those fangs away. However, the thing either didn't get the hint, or simply didn't care as it continued to stare down the barrel of the gun without any change in countenance.

He shook his head at the stubbornness of these idiotic creatures. "Don't be stupid."

Unbeknownst to all, a hazy fog had begun to roll in underfoot; a swelling chill had also begun to claim the air. Neither of these caught the humans' attention as the eastern European area was known for its abrupt weather changes. Yet, the facetious voice that spoke out through the inky darkness did.

"Actually…I'd say that you idiots were the _real _stupid ones…not to mention complete cowards. I mean, shooting your bargaining chip is downright dumb, but shooting a _child_? Come on now, even you humans can understand how gutless that is."

Dark clouds flowed in, blocking the moonlight and sending the forest into pitch black darkness. The Night Watchers held their rifles and blades close, glancing in all directions for any sudden movement. Their superior kept a keen eye out for the newcomer, all of them trained to not make a sound.

The nightwalkers, which had quickly become ignored, suddenly began to grin, their toothy smiles standing out like the Cheshire cat's in the darkness.

As the moon once again broke through the incoming storm clouds, a flash of lightning lit up the sky, immediately shadowed by a crash of thunder.

The playful voice spoke out once again with a laugh, this time coming from slightly above them. "Well, I guess that's our cue."

All of the hunters turned at once, aiming their weapons at the revealed male who had appeared above them, standing leisurely in a nearby tree with his back against the trunk, his arms crossed. The stranger was dressed in a black, blue, and gold ensemble that reflected its Chinese origin. His dark blue hair was tied back in a ponytail, several small azure ribbons segmenting it as it traveled down to small of his back. His ochroid eyes flashed with a teasing light, yet held a dangerous silver glint within them that almost made them seem violet. His bare arms bore a swirling red Chinese phoenix tattooed around the right upper arm, and a sapphire dragon wrapped around the left.

He mockingly bowed to them despite the many gun barrels pointed at him. One of the soldiers spoke up as he kept this one in his sights, "Taking us on all by yourself? I find that even more foolhardy. There are eight of us and only one of you."

The man looked up tapping his chin in thought, "Hmm, it seems that you must suck at math even worse than me."

He looked over at the man who had spoken, the jesting suddenly gone from his voice. "First, there are only _**seven**_ of you…"

Faster than a lightning's strike, the strange male attacked, his clawed hand punching into the man's chest and out through the other side!

The other Night Watcher stared in horror at their gutted comrade before taking aim at the stranger; however, a glance at their newly moonlit surroundings gave them pause.

The dark haired male gave them no thought as he pulled his hand back from out of the flailing corpse and shook the excess blood and gore off before wiping it clean on the dead man's cloak.

"Second, since when did 'us' mean 'just one'?"

He looked up to see the men shifting their eyes around their surroundings, as they found themselves pinned in by numerous shadowed combatants that had seemingly risen up out of the forest to encircle them.

His smile widened as the lightning flashed off the sapphire stud earring in his ear and the pointed canines of his telltale teeth.

"Let the fun begin…"

* * *

**A/N**: Hi! Cookies to whoever can point out the quotes in here as well as to the identity of our newest character here! If you've been paying attention and know your anime, you will spot characters throughout this story that I've pulled from other anime shows. Of course they'll be a little altered to match the story line, but I've kept them in character so see if you can spot them. And yes, the new guy at the end of this chapter is one of those cameos!


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